402 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 9,1895. 
but “ old Pikey ” slept the sleep of the just and delayed U3 unjusti¬ 
fiably, considerably ruffling our tempers ere the fee was paid and 
the passport made out freeing us from further impositions of that 
kind. Nearing the place of rendezvous, tempers were again tried 
by observing the opposition load of plants converging towards 
us from a road at right angles. Our phlegmatic driver was now 
thoroughly aroused, and such compliments as “ Yah ! poonch thy 
yead” were freely exchanged with therivalJehu, accompanied by an 
apparent desire of the twain to race as well as fight. Valour, however 
gave way to discretion, in fact later on in the day to brotherly 
love, for the same two drivers were to be seen convivially toasting 
those healths which but a few short hours previously they had 
ardently desired to injure. 
Of the events of that eventful day but one or two need be 
recorded here. The band of the Coldstreams (appropriate for a wet 
day) discoursed sweet music under the muffling canopy of a tent. 
One grateful recollection yet stands out clear and distinct amidst 
the troubles of staging, the anxiety of results, the music and the 
mud, that was a substantial free breakfast to which we juniors 
were admitted after our betters—the judges and the heads—had 
done justice to it. As for the blue riband, first prize for the plants 
which we had awarded to ourselves the day previous, the judges 
confirmed that decision. “ Old Pikey ” gave us no trouble on our 
return. Our “gaffer,” whose confidence in us had not been 
misplaced by his staying at home, met the wanderers with a 
lanthorn. Drenched, tired, and satisfied, our adventures ended in 
a peaceful night’s rest to all, especially— The Junior. 
Events of the Week. —After a lapse of three weeks the Com¬ 
mittees of the Royal Horticultural Society meet again at the Drill Hall, 
Westminster, on Tuesday next, while on Wednesday the Royal Botanic 
Society will hold its summer exhibition in Regent’s Park. These appear 
to be the only events of particular horticultural interest during the 
forthcoming week. 
- The Weather in London.—D uring the past week we have 
experienced glorious weather. The sun has shone brilliantly on each 
day, and is rapidly gaining considerable power. The nights, however, 
continue cold, frost having been registered on several mornings, notably 
on Thursday last, when 5° were experienced in an outlying southern 
suburb, and the atmosphere is very dry. 
- Weather in the North. —May opened with a drizzly 
morning and a cold W. wind, but the day improved towards evening. 
The morning of the 2nd was dull, but since then, till Tuesday, the 
weather has been very bright and fine, although the wind has generally 
been easterly, and cold evenings have occurred. Trees and hedges are 
rapidly advancing, and pasture is now abundant.—B. D., S. Perthshire. 
- Death of Mr. Thomas Hooa.— We regret to have to 
announce the death of Mr. Thomas Hogg, the head of the old-established 
seed and nursery business of Hogg & Wood of Coldstream, N.B. Mr. 
Hogg had been in indifferent health for some months, and notwith¬ 
standing frequent visits to the various hcilth resorts of the Continent, 
and voyages to America and the Mediterranean, his constitution was 
unable to resist a complication of ailments. Mr. Hogg was visiting 
the salt baths at Droitwich when he died on the morning of 4th inst., 
aged seventy-four. He was a Justice of the Peace for Berwickshire for 
many years. 
-National Amateur Gardeners’ Association. — At a 
meeting of the above Society held on Tuesday evening at the Memorial 
Hall, Farringdon Street, B.C., with Mr. T W Sanders in the chair, an 
exhaustive and instructive paper on “ Z )nal Pelargoniums ” was read by 
Mr. H. J. Jones of Lewisham. The essayist dea't lucidly with the 
cultivation of the above plants in all stages, and on conclusion of the 
paper a short but interesting discussion took place. In the exhibition 
room creditable displays of Zonal Pelargoniums, Azalea mollis, Violas, 
Fuchsias, Auriculas, Asparagus, Rhubarb, and Seakale were staged, for 
which points were awarded. 
- Royal Horticultural Society. —The next meeting of the 
Society will be held in the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria Street, 
Westminster, on Tuesday, May 14th, when a large show of Daffodils 
and other hardy flowers is anticipated. At 3 p.m. Dr. Morris of 
Kew will deliver a lecture on the “ Plants and Gardens of the Canary 
Islands.” The lecture will be illustrated by dissolving views from the 
magic lantern. 
- Royal Meteorological Society. —At the ordinary meeting 
of the Society, to be held by kind permission of the Council of the Sur¬ 
veyors’ Institution, at 12, Great George Street, Westminster, on Wed¬ 
nesday, the 15th instant, at 7.30 p.m., the following papers will be read ; 
—“The November Floods of 1S94 in the Thames Valley,” by G. J. 
Symons, F.R.S., and G. Chatterton, M.A., M.Inst.C.C. “Barometrical 
Changes Preceding and Accompanying the Heavy Rainfall of November, 
1894,” by F. J. Brodie, F.R.Met.Soc. 
- New Viola Charm. — Mr. William Cuthbertson sends us 
flowers of this variety, and writes :—“ We have had all the best varie¬ 
ties of Violas in bloom in pots in a cool greenhouse for some time, and 
the above variety well merits its name. It is a most beautiful shade 
of lavender, like that of the old-fashioned Marriage-ties. The variety 
was raised by Mr. Samuel McKie of Belfast, and is being distributed 
this spring by Mr. William Sydenham of Tamworth. All Viola fanciers 
should make a note of it.” [The colour of the flower is very delicate 
and pleasing.] 
- Ferns at Kew.—T he Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
has favoured us with a copy of a hand-list of the Fern and Fern allies 
cultivated in those gardens, and which has just been published. Before 
the list of Ferns, which is alphabetical, is an admirably written preface, 
giving in brief the history of the collection, from which it appears that 
in 1846 there were 400 species of Ferns grown, while the present hand¬ 
book contains no less than 1116 species and varieties with ninety-seven 
, Fern allies, this being exclusive of British Ferns, which number 
586 varieties. The price of the publication is only 6d., and it may be 
had from the Gardens. 
- Seaweed as a Fertiliser. —On the sea coast this is of much 
importance. Wben wet it is two-thirds water, but when dried on the 
beach only about one-third its weight is water, and it is a useful 
absorbent in stables. The wet seaweed contains nearly 1 per cent, of 
nitrogen, potash 3 per cent., and phosphoric acid IJ per cent. If the 
rockweed is dried until it contains only half as much water as when 
wet, a ton of it will have nearly twice as much of these elements. 
The nitrogen is lost if the seaweed is burned. Seaweed also contains 
considerable soda and lime, ard is good for all crops if spread on the 
soil and lightly ploughed or harrowed in. 
- Royal Botanic Society. —At a meeting of this Society held 
recently, Mr. Granville R. Ryder in the chair, among the objects of 
interest exhibited were a number of growing plants of Sanseviera 
cylindrica, the Bowstring Hemp, obtained by dividing one of the stick¬ 
like leaves transversely into pieces and planting them, when young 
shoots appear at the base, although no sign of any node or budding 
point can be traced on the leaf. The plant is remarkable as producing 
one of the strongest of known fibres. It was remarked at the meeting 
that the conservatories of the Society were now at their best, the Azaleas 
and Rhododendrons being in full beauty ; one very large plant of Rhodo¬ 
dendron Countess of Haddington being a mass of delicate pale pink 
flowers of enormous size and wax-like texture. 
- Glass Structures in Winter—Essays —Some time ago 
we offered a silver medal for the best essay on the profitable employ¬ 
ment of such glass structures in the winter as are frequently devoted 
to Cucumbers and Tomatoes in the summer. The response has equalled 
our anticipations. Out of the number of essays sent in eight are chosen 
as worthy of very careful re-examination. These are sent under the 
mottoes (here given alphabetically) of “Excelsior,” “Excelsior” 
fNantwich), “ Henri,” “ Lego,” “ One of the Craft,” “ Practice,” 
“ Semper Eadem,” and “ Viola.” We fear that one or two of the essays 
may not prove of the stipulated length, others appear to have been 
hurriedly written, and more than one which is well written does 
not show clearly the results of the practice advocated. All these points 
will have to be considered, and as we are cognisant of the identity of 
one cf>ntributor (and one alone) the whole of the essays will be placed 
in the hands of an adjudicator, who possesses knowledge on commercial 
horticulture, and has had much experience in the examination of 
essays ; his report will be awaited before a decision is arrived at, and 
before the envelopes containing the names of the essayists are opened. 
