496 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 6,1895. 
Events of the Week. —The Committees of the Koyal Horticul¬ 
tural Society meet at the Drill Hall on Tuesday next, and on Wednesday 
the Royal Botanic Society holds its special Floral Fete in Regent’s 
Park. These are the only events of interest to London horticulturists. 
- The Weather in London. —The weather in London during 
the past week has been changeable, but, on the whole, fine. On Friday 
and Saturday it was very warm, with occasional light showers, Sunday 
being practically the same. Monday opened somewhat dull, but cleared 
later in the morning, and the sun shone gloriously until towards evening, 
when a few drops of rain fell. A drizzly rain fell during the early hours 
of Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, but though continuing dull, rain 
ceased to fall about nine o’clock, 
-RoYAii Horticultural Society. —The next meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society will be held in the Drill Hall, James Street, 
Westminster, on Tuesday, June 11th. At 3 p.m. a lecture on “ Rose 
Culture under Glass” will be given by Mr. Frank Cant. The President 
of the Society will also present the Veitchian Memorial medals to 
James Bateman, Esq., F. W. Moore, Esq., and Mons. V. Lemoine of 
Nancy. 
- Strawberry Leader. —Like Royal Sovereign, I look on 
Leader Strawberry as an acquisition to varieties ripening after the early 
forced kinds, and, like its compeer, coming in to fill the gap just prior to 
the earliest out of doors. It may be good for forcing varieties for aught 
I know, but for ripening in May its success is assured. In point of 
flavour it is an improvement on either of its parents, and much in 
advance of Noble. I shall look forward to Leader taking a high position 
amongst Strawberry growers when the stock is further increased.— 
E. Molyneux. 
- Hardiness op Scarlet Runner Seeds. — I can quite 
confirm all that “ A Gardener ” said on page 451 respecting the hardi¬ 
ness of Scarlet Runner seeds, and can go a little farther. I have for 
more than fifteen years always left my seeds on the poles as grown till 
planting time, in the middle of May. I have known them to be frozen 
for weeks together. All the seeds will grow. I am convinced that any 
amount of frost and the changes of the weather, wet and dry, have not 
the slightest effect on the seed. The poles have been standing in the 
same place quite twenty years, and are never taken down. This past 
winter ought to be a fair test, and I see they are just germinating as 
usual.—H. Foster, WatcTimaTier, Ashford, Kent, 
- Bothiana. — Now that the excellent articles which have 
appeared in the Journal for the past few weeks under the above 
heading have come to a termination, allow me, through your columns, 
to express, on behalf of the young gardeners in this district, our heart¬ 
felt thanks to your correspondent, “ An Old Boy,” for the kind advice 
tendered to us therein. Those who intend to follow out as far as 
possible the only road to success, as pointed out by your correspondent, 
will 1 am sure in future years, when their wisdom and perseverance 
shall have earned for them honourable positions in the horticultural 
world, look back with feelings of gratitude to the time when they read 
and profited by the writings of “ An Old Boy ” in the Journal of 
Horticulture. —P. J. G,, Warwichshire. 
- Wakefield Paxton Society. — At the meeting of the 
members of the above Society, held 25th ult., Mr. B. Whiteley presided, 
and Mr. J. G. Brown was in the vice-chair. Mr. T. Gartery of 
Rotherham read an interesting and practical paper on “ The Primula.” 
He clearly and fully described how he has successfully raised these 
charming and useful winter blooming plants for many years past, and 
in detailing his mode of treatment he impressed upon professional and 
amateur gardeners to do everything they could to produce strong and 
sturdy plants. A discussion ensued on the paper having reference mainly 
to “ the nettling effect ” which the handling of a certain species of 
Primula had on “ thin-skinned gardeners,” some of whom asserted that 
it caused them an unpleasant sensation somewhat resembling “ itch.” 
A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Gartery for bis essay. 
- London Open Spaces.—T he trustees of the London Parochial 
Charities have subscribed out of their surplus income for the year 1895 
£1000 to the funds of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association for 
the purpose of promoting th^ purchase or laying-out of minor open 
spaces. 
- Death of Mrs. Philip Crowley.—W e learn with extreme 
regret of the death of Mrs. Crowley, which occurred at Waddon House, 
Croydon, on Sunday last, 2nd inst. Not only was Mrs. Crowley a most 
kind, gentle, and estimable lady, but was a devoted helper of her 
husband in his horticultural work, and the many friends of Mr. Crowley 
will deeply sympathise with him on the grievous loss of one who may 
be described, as far as is humanly possible, as a perfect wife, Mrs. 
Crowley was fifty-eight years of age. 
! - Mr. G. M'Dougall, Gardener, Ravenna Cottage, Stirling, 
writes :—“ Enclosed is a crimson Hawthorn sport for your inspection. 
I intend sending it to the next meeting at the Drill Hall, where it will 
be exhibited by Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son; but I am afraid that the 
excessive heat will have extracted all the colour. This is the fourth 
consecutive day that the shade temperature has been above 70°.’^ 
[The variety is evidently the well-known Crataegus oxyacantha 
punicea.] 
-Paris Horticultural Congress. —At the International 
Horticultural Congress, opened at Paris on Saturday, resolutions were 
unanimously adopted to the effect:—“ (1) That the French Government 
should associate itself with the request addressed by the Italian Govern¬ 
ment to the Swiss Confederation, with a view of obtaining the revision 
of the Berne International Convention, and the free circulation between 
all countries signatory to the convention, of all vegetables and Vines, 
accompanied by a certificate of origin ; and (2) that the postal adminis¬ 
tration should return to the old reduced tariff, of which periodical 
publications on horticulture have hitherto had the advantage.” 
- DlON^A MUSCIPULA.—This little plant, popularly known as 
Venus’s Fly Trap, well deserves a place in the greenhouse. The ordinary 
observer may look on it only as a curiosity, but to the plant lover it has, 
says a writer in a transatlantic contemporary, a beauty all its own. The 
upper portion of the leaf, wnich constitutes the trap, is dilated into a 
two-lobed irritable limb, furnished at the margin with a row of long stiff 
bristle-like teeth. When a fly or other insect alights on the inner side 
of this portion it immediately folds up and holds the insect while it 
makes the least motion, but gradually assumes its normal position again 
after the insect is killed and ceases to struggle. It is of easy cultiva¬ 
tion, and does well in a greenhouse temperature, and should be placed 
in a position where it will be shaded from direct sunlight, but at the 
same time have abundance of light and air. First place the plants in 
small pots half filled with crocks, using live sphagnum moss as potting 
material, then place the pots, about six, in a 10-inch pan, and pack 
them firmly around with sphagnum, place the pan in a saucer, and keep 
this all the time filled with water. 
- “The Botanical Magazine.”—T he June number of this 
publication contains the following subjects:—Crinum Schimperi 
(Amaryllideae).—The bulbs of this plant, which were sent to Kew from 
the Berlin Botanical Garden, came originally from the mountains of 
Abyssinia, where they were found by Herr Schimpei some twenty years 
ago. The peduncles and tube are strongly marked with brown ; the 
limb about 4 inches long, is recurved, and ends in a yellow point. 
Tnchocladus grandiflorus (Hamamelideae) is a native of the Transvaal, 
South Africa. Tne ovate leaves, when young, are a bronze brown and 
stellately pubescent. The flowers are white, arranged in racemes of 
six, each having a rose-coloured centre. Ribes bracteosum (Saxifrage®). 
—This plant has its habitat on the north-west coast of America, from 
California to Alaska. The racemes are from 3 to 6 inches in length, and 
derive their colour from the calyx of each flower, which is a golden 
yellow touched with green at the tip, and red at the base. Peraphyllum 
ramosissimum (Rosace®).—This, which is like the former, a native of 
North-western America, forms the sole species of the genus. It is a 
shrub from 2 to G feet in height, with rose-coloured flowers arranged in 
corymbs, and so closely related to the Amelanchier as to have been 
confounded with it. Rosa Loci® (Rosace®) —Comes from China and 
Japan. It is closely connected with R. multiflora on the one hand, and 
R. microphylla on the other, so as to be considered by some as a hybrid 
between the two. The blossom is white, and its foliage lustrous, and 
on account of its hardiness, and appearing when other shrubs are out of 
bloom, has been much used for decorative purposes about the city of 
Boston. 
