March 15,1884. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
203 
- The rcBultg of botanical studies carried on at the University 
•of Minnesota are to be reported in a serial, which will be published 
under the title “ Minnesota Botanical Studies,” edited by Prof. 
Conway M’Millan. 
- Rosydandrums.— The note from Mr. Weathers (page 182) 
reminded me of another rendering of Rhododendrons given by an old 
woman when speaking to me some time ago. This was “Roderydan- 
drums.” Just an hour or two ago I heard a young man speak of 
Rosydendrons.” —S. Abnott. ' 
i 
- The number for March of, the “ Botanical Magazine,” 
just received by us, contains the following plates :—Thomsonia napa- 
lensis (an Aroid), Hydrophyllum longiflorum (insect-harbouring 
Rubiaceous plant), Hippeastrum brachyandrum, Phychospermia 
elegans (East Australian Areca), and Pelargonium Drummondi from 
West Australia. j 
- Primula japonica in Pots. —This strong-growing Primula 
is well adapted for the embellishment of greenhouses and conservatories 
during the spring months when cultivated in pots. A friend of mine 
grows a large number of plants for this purpose, and finds them exceed¬ 
ingly useful. They are placed in 5 or 6-inch pots in the autumn, and 
kept in a cold frame during the winter, placing them in the greenhouse 
early in March. There they soon commence to produce their tall flower 
spikes, and the blooms remain in a good condition for a considerable 
period.—B. T. 
-The Shirley and District Gardeners’ and Amateurs’ 
Mutual Improvement Society. —At a meeting of this Society held 
in the Pariah Room, High Street, Shirley, on Wednesday 7th instant, 
Mr. E. Molyneux, Svanmore Park, gave a lecture on ‘'The Salient 
Points in Hardy Fruit Culture.” Treating his subject in a masterly 
and concise manner, the lecturer finished with the assertion that the 
most important item in fruit culture was brains, and he might have 
added plant culture too. A brief and interesting discussion followed, 
after which Mr. Molyneux was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for 
his instructive and interesting lecture. 
- Loughborough Autumn Celery and Vegetable 
Society. —The twenty-third annual meeting of this Society was held 
on Wednesday evening, 7th inst., in the Mayor’s Parlour, Town Hall, 
the Mayor (Aid. W. A. Cartwright) presiding. The balance-sheet 
■howed receipts £107 17s. 7d., and expenses £101 12s. The Mayor, in 
moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, congratulated the 
members on the excellent position attained. The Society, he said, had 
done much to encourage the working men in the cultivation of 
vegetables, and he thought great credit was due to them for the time 
they devoted to preparing the exhibits. 
- A New Manure.—N ot literally, but metaphorically, your 
esteemed contributor Mr. Molyneux has, at a gardeners’ improvement 
society, been advocating in fruit culture the use of brains. Let not readers, 
however, start back in horror at thCj suggestion. He means nothing 
physical, nothing shocking; there is no suggestion on his part that brains^ 
whether human or otherwise, should be literally employed as manure. 
He simply means that sense, intelligence, knowledge, all of which are 
ordinariiy comprised in the expressive term “ brains,” should govern 
and control fruit culture, as indeed all things relating to gardening. 
The suggestion is not new, of course, but it is essentially correct. We 
want in all our gardening far more intelligence and less rule of thumb. 
Even to-day, with the boasted nineteenth century nearly at its close, we 
n gardening perform an immense deal of our work by rule of thumb 
methods ; we still do what our fathers did very largely without having 
thought in any way of first principles, or inquiring why or wherefore 
this or that labour is so performed. That some awakening of the garden 
intelligence is taking place now there can be no doubt. Gardeners’ 
associations, one of which Mr. Molyneux practically inaugurated the 
other day, are doing much to arouse dormant intelligence and awaken 
nterest. The county councils are also doing much. The Press has 
long striven to do something also ; but the result is slow in appearance. 
If our young men would but use to the utmost the facilities now offered 
to them, we should find the next generation to be employing brains in 
much greater degree than is found at present. Their position then 
very much rests with the use they make of their time now. True, 
gardening is a poorly paid occupation, and the only hope of bettering 
it financially is found m the higher intelligence of those wno saall be 
its workers.—A. V. 
- The Kew Bulletin.—W e have to acknowledge the receipt 
of “The Kew Bulletin” for March, which, as usual, contains some 
interesting matter. The contents include articles on the “ Sugar Cane 
Disease in Old World ; ” ” Seminal Variation in the Sugar Cane ; ” 
” Improvement of Sugar Cane by Chemical Selection of Seed Canes ; ” 
“ Guzerat Rape;” “Agriculture in British Honduras;” “Decades 
Kewenses Vill.“Artificial Production of Citric Acid and some 
miscellaneous notes. 
- Scottish Horticultural Association. — The usual 
monthly meeting of this Society was held at 5, St. Andrew Square, 
Edinburgh, last evening, Mr. James Grieve, Pilrig Park Nurseries, Vice- 
President, in the chair. Mr. S. Johnston, Sillerbithall, Hawick, read a 
practical and carefully prepared paper on “ The Vegetables of To-day ; 
How to Grow Them, and How to Judge Them.” At the close, after 
some discussion, Mr. Johnston was deservedly awarded a cordial vote 
of thanks for his excellent paper. 
- Wakefield Paxton Society.—T he seventeenth annual 
meeting of the members of this Society was held on Saturday night, 
3rd inst., when Mr. H. S. Goodyear presided (Mr. G. Gill being Vice- 
Chairman) over a large attendance. Mr. T. II. Mountain, Assistant 
Secretary, read the annual report, and it is gratifying to see thereby 
that there is a balance in hand of £18 Ss. 5d. During the year 
£8 Is. 7d. has been raised from sale of exhibits at the weekly meetings 
and special contributions, which sum is to be divided between the Gar¬ 
deners’ Orphanage Fund and the Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution. 
- Dr. a. Dodel’S “ Biologischer Atlas der Botanik ” (Iris series), 
published by G. Schmidst, Zurich, contains as excellent a set of coloured 
botanical diagrams as it is possible to desire for teaching purposes. 
The collection comprises seven large wall maps, upon which sixty-seven 
figures of parts of Iris sibirica are depicted. The figures illustrate the 
root, stem, leaves, flowers, and fruit of the plant in an admirable 
manner, the magnification being stated in each case, and in accuracy 
of delineation and beauty of reproduction they could hardly be excelled. 
The whole of the illustrations are from original drawings contained in 
an unpublished monograph by Dr. Dodel.— (^Nature.') 
- Reading and District Gardeners’ Association,—A t 
the last fortnightly meeting of members Mr. J. Hudson of Gunnersbury 
read a very instructive paper on “ Tender v. Hardy Plants in the 
Flower Garden.” The subject was ably dealt with, and gave rise to a 
wholesome discussion. The interest of the meeting was greatly enhanced 
by a splendid collection of Primulas from Messrs. Sutton & Sons. 
About 200 were exhibited in twenty varieties, and though grown in pots 
not exceeding 3 inches in diameter the plants were models of culture, 
being well furnished with foliage, and bearing a profusion of beautiful 
blossoms. A cordial vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to 
Messrs. Sutton for their exhibit, and to Mr. Hudson for his essay. 
-Aberdeen Horticulturists and the Public Parks.—A t 
a recent meeting of the Links and Parks Committee of the Aberdeen 
Town Council, a memorial was submitted from horticulturists in 
Aberdeen with reference to the practice of supplying plants and shrubs 
from the public parks to the promoters of entertainments. The 
memorialists complained that this custom, as well as the practice of 
supplying private parties with flowers, deprived them of a considerable 
amount of revenue, and expressed the hope that the Council might see 
their way to adopt measures which would put a stop to plants being 
given for decorative purposes from the public gardens. In the course of 
the discussion which ensued, a member contended that the public parks, 
instead of being any drawback to the business of the florists, had had 
the effect of increasing a taste for the rearing of flowers, and we suspect 
he was right. Not many years ago, it was stated, very few people cared 
to have plants in their houses, but now many citizens had them, but the 
Aberdeen florists allowed strangers to come into the field, who disposed 
of thousands of plants annually. The park gardeners, it was contended, 
showed people what plants to grow, and how to grow them, and the 
business of the florist had thus increased. Not many years ago, it was 
argued, a few hardy flowers might have been seen for sale in the 
Aberdeen New Market, but now they might be found in abundance in 
every florist’s shop in the city, the reason being that the keepers of the 
public parks had cultivated the public taste. After further discussion 
it was remitted to a Sub-Committee to meet the memorialists, with view 
to having an interview in regard to the subject of their petition, and to 
report. 
