March 28, 1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
271 
good book, and then lend amongst ourselves. This plan brings us 
within reach of six good books at the expense of one.—W. D., Turnford. 
Allow me to thank your correspondent, “ W. D., Turnford," for his 
kind information given me on page 251 on the above subject. He is, 
however, labouring under a false impression in presuming that I thought 
few under the age of twenty-five gained the Society’s certificates. Let 
me assure “ W. D.” that I was fully aware many young men obtained 
those certificates, but did not know so many under twenty-five succeeded 
in gaining first-class ones. Now that we are told young men have as 
good a chance as others of heading the successful candidate list, and 
have done so, it is to be hoped that many young gardeners who hitherto, 
like myself, were under the false impression that age and experience 
counted for something at those examinations, will now take courage, 
and by following out the advice given by “ An Instructor ” last week be 
among the chosen few when the results of the forthcoming examination 
are made known.—A YouNa Gardener. 
THE ALDBOROUGH ANEMONE. 
The Aldborough Anemone (fig. 47) first flowered in the late Rev. J. G. 
Nelson’s garden at Aldborough. The bulb was sent to him by a Mr. Fob, a 
Greek botanist, and I well remember walking into his garden one morning 
and finding him admiring the first flower that had opened. The flowers 
vary considerably in character, some having pointed petals as in the illus¬ 
tration, while others are quite round. My plants are now throwing up 
numbers of buds, one being in flower. After a favourable winter I do 
not know a plant that will give so early and brilliant a display of bloom 
for so long a time. For quite three months it may be had in gorgeous 
magnificence. Bulbs should be planted in August and allowed to'remain 
in the same borders from two to three years. No other plant should be 
planted among them to shade the bulbs in the summer. I devote a 
border in the kitchen garden to them, and plant in rows 15 inches 
asunder.— Wm. Allan, Gunton Parli, Norioiclb. 
PLANTS WITHOUT EARTH. 
Colonel Halford Thompson of “Jadoo fibre” fame has sent us 
a neat pamphlet of thirty-two pages, containing the lecture which he de¬ 
livered at the People’s Palace for East London a short time ago. It is an 
excellent lecture well worth reading. The more experience the Colonel 
has with Jadoo the more he is convinced of its value as a light yet 
sufficient and continuous medium for supporting plants. 
That it does support plants is evident from the prizes which have 
been awarded for plants grown in it, not only those of succulent growth, 
but Chrysanthemums. Mr. B. Molyneux describes the prize blooms as 
" remarkable for size, depth, and brightness.” It will be admitted if 
Jadoo will do that it will support most other plants usually grown in 
gardens. The material appears to be scientifically prepared. It seems 
to be based on a proposition of Mr. Warington, that “even where soil is 
extremely fertile the bulk serves chiefly as a sponge to hold water, and 
a large part of the elements of plant food in soils is in such a condition 
that plants are unable to make use of it.” 
The Colonel then goes on to say, “The object of Jadoo fibre is to 
provide a sponge not only to hold water but also the chemicals them¬ 
selves, not locked up but stored in such a way that plants can make full 
use of them.” This is done by boiling peat moss with chemicals which 
contain the requisite essentials of plant food, then fermenting the mass 
in a particular way to render the food available. The plants then take 
it as they want it, and make themselves happy. The results have 
surprised many persons of great experience in plant culture, including 
Mr. Veitch of Exeter. 
In towns where soil is scarce, heavy, and dear Jadoo is sure to be 
extensively tried, and as Mr. Molyneux remarks, “ it should prove a 
boon to nurserymen who grow plants for transit as well as for baskets 
because of its lightness.” The plants we have seen exhibited as grown 
in this material were as healthy as could be desired. Colonel Halford 
Thompson’s lecture can be had for 6d., and no one will be the worse for 
reading it, but on the contrary many of his remarks are very trite and 
suggestive. It is published by Messrs. Charles and Edwin Layton, 
56, Farringdon Street, London, and can also, we presume, be had from 
the Jadoo Company, of which Mr. A. Hope is the secretary, at the 
address given in advertisements. 
THE EXTRAORDINARY GALE. 
A TERRIFIC gale of wind swept over Warwick about mid-day on 
Sunday the 24th inst. Scores of trees on Lord Warwick’s estate were 
either torn up by the roots or broken clean through the trunks. Several 
of the grand old Cedars in the Castle grounds, whose sturdy trunks and 
spreading branches have weathered many a previous storm, have, alas I 
at last succumbed. Torn up at the roots, with enormous balls of earth 
attached, they now lie a mangled mass of broken limbs and branches. 
In their time they have been a source of delight to the many visitors 
who flock to Warwick Castle. In the future naught but the memory 
of them will be left behind. Fortunately, many thriving young Cedars 
are advancing in the Castle grounds, so that in future ages they are 
likely to form as great a feature as their gigantic companions do 
now.—W. 
In rural districts great, no doubt, are the depredations caused by the 
recent gale. In London the experience differs somewhat. Last Sunday, 
whilst taking a walk, I was suddenly startled by a loud crash close 
behind me; turning quickly, I found it was only a stray chimney pot 
coming into contact with mother earth, and had I been but a few paces 
nearer I doubtless should have assisted in breaking the force of the 
blow. Feeling thankful, however, that such was not the case, I walked 
on with gaze chiefly centred on the surrounding roofs, fully satisfied 
that London streets are not the safest of places on a windy day.— 
CocKNEr. _ 
On Sunday, 24th inst., a very destructive gale swept over this neigh¬ 
bourhood, doing a considerable amount of damage. About midday the 
FIG. 47.— THE ALDBOROUGH ANEMONE. 
wind veered from south-east to south-west, and increased in violence up 
to 2.30 P.M., when it was blowing a hurricane, uprooting hundreds of 
trees, some of large dimensions, including Cedars of Lebanon, fine Oaks, 
Elms, very fine Larch, and Spruce Firs upwards of 80 feet high. 
Nothing has approached the present gale in severity since the memorable 
gale and snowstorm of Good Friday in 1876, when so much damage was 
done to the fine specimen Cedars of Lebanon in Southill Park adjoining. 
—G. R. Allis, Old Warden Park, Biggleswade. 
A GALE of unprecedented violence was experienced in this locality 
on Sunday, March 24th. It commenced just before noon, and reached 
its full force about 1.45 p.m., when in the space of half an hour about 
forty large trees, mostly Elm and Lime, were uprooted in Drayton Park 
and thrown to the ground with such force as to splinter them to frag¬ 
ments. The greater part of these giants were from 90 to 100 feet high 
