April 5,1894 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
259 
Events of the Week. —The Committees of the Koyal Horticul¬ 
tural Society will meet at the Drill Hall, James’ Street, Westminster, on 
Tuesday, April 10th, when a good display is expected. Special prizes 
will be offered for Daffodils. At 3 P.M. the Rev. G. H. Engleheart 
will deliver a lecture on “ Hybrid Narcissi.” Beyond this and 
the customary auction sales no other events of horticultural interest are 
advertised to take place in the metropolis during the ensuing week. 
- The Weather in London. —Another week of sunny weather, 
with occasional slight showers, has been experienced in the south. On 
Sunday the shade maximum in London was as high as 69°, or about 
16° above the average for the time of year. At night the barometer 
fell slightly, and a thunder shower occurred on Monday afternoon. 
Tuesday, however, proved bright and warm, but Wednesday opened 
dull, though at the time of going to press the sun is shining. 
- The Weather in Scotland. —Fine weather has continued 
throughout the past week, the mornings and evenings being occasionally 
dull, the days uniformly bright and warm. On the Slat ult., and again 
on the 2nd inst., very slight showers of rain fell, and thunder has been 
heard in the distance. Sunday was an especially fine day. Tuesday 
morning was dull, with a cold east wind, but no appearance of any 
further change in the weather.—B. D., S. Perthshire. 
- We read in the Revue Horticole that consequent on the disas¬ 
trous explosion that took place at the warehouses of Messrs. Vilmorin, 
Andriehx & Co. of Paris, and which we noticed a few weeks ago, the 
firm has sent to the “ Caisse des Victimes ” a donation of 10,000 francs 
(£400) in the name of the house, and 10,000 francs (£400) in the names 
of MM. Henry and Maurice Vilmorin. 
- We have received from Signor Guiseppa Gaeta his “ Catalogo 
SiSTEMATICO DELLE SPECIE E VARIETA DI CONIPERE COLTIVATE 
NEL Bosco SPERIMENTALE DI MoNClONi.” It is a systematic cata¬ 
logue of the species and varieties of Coniferae cultivated in the experi¬ 
mental plantation of Moncioni. It is an admirable publication, 400 
species and varieties being treated of, and it abounds with synonyms in 
all languages. We commend the book very highly to all who are 
concerned with the cultivation of the Coniferje. 
- Royal Horticultural Society’s Examination in 
Horticulture. —This examination will be held on Tuesday, May 1st, 
simultaneously in as many different centres in Great Britain and 
Ireland as circumstances may demand. Intending candidates should 
at once communicate with the Secretary of the Society, 117, Victoria 
Street, London, S.W. Isolated students— i.e., those who have not studied 
in connection with any class, and who may be far away from populous 
centres—-may be examined if they so wish, on the condition that they 
obtain the services of some competent person, such as a magistrate, 
clergyman, schoolmaster, who will consent to superintend the examina¬ 
tion on the Society’s behalf. A small capitation fee of 3s. must be paid 
by every candidate, in order to partially defray the expenses of the 
examination. 
- Royal Botanical and Horticultural Society op 
Manchester. —Under the auspices of this Society, an exhibition of 
Roses, Orchids, and groups will be held in the Botanical Gardens, Old 
Trafford, Manchester, on Friday, the 11th May, to Thursday, the 17th 
May, inclusive. Exceptionally good prizes are offered, and these should 
bring forth a grand display. For a collection of Roses in pots, 
arranged for effect, the prizes are £20 first, £15 second, and £8 third. 
For a collection of Orchids (amateurs) £30, £20, and £10 are 
offered as first, second, and third prizes, those in the nurserymen’s class 
being £20, £10, and £5. Handsome sums are also to be given for 
greenhouse plants and hardy flowers. Mr. Bruce Findlay, Royal 
Botanical Gardens, Manchester, is the Secretary. 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. James Batley, for forty-two 
years head gardener at Wentworth Castle, Barnsley, the seat of 
T. F. C. V. Wentworth, Esq., retires with a pension, and is succeeded by 
his son, who has been with him as foreman. 
- Flowers from Scilly.—O n Tuesday, the week before last, 
no less than 14 tons of flowers were sent to the markets from Scilly, and 
on the following day 9 tons 6 cwt. Some 32,000 bunches were sent 
from the gardens of Mr. T. A. Dorrien-Smith at Tresco. 
- Death of Mr. George Hardy. — With regret we record 
the death of Mr. George Hardy, which occurred at his residence, Picker¬ 
ing Lodge, Timperley, Cheshire, on Monday, March 26ch, at the age of 
sixty-two years. Mr. Hardy was an enthusiastic cultivator of Orchids, 
and possessed a magnificent collection of these plants at Pickering 
Lodge. 
- Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Associa¬ 
tion. —This Association held its final meeting for the session 1893-4 on 
Wednesday, March 28th, when Mr. Gingell, Superintendent of Ravens- 
court Park, read a paper on “ Landscape Gardening.” We are 
informed that part of the balance in hand, with the addition of small 
subscriptions from the members, amounting to about £2, will be 
shortly paid by the Association to the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
- Daffodils and Dry Summers. — I have never seen the 
Daffodils flowering more freely than at present. The common Lent 
Lily (N. pseudo-narcissus) of which there are thousands of bulbs growing 
in the hedges and woods, have produced much larger blooms this year 
than common. The same can be said of the common double Daffodil 
(N. Telamonius plenus). The hot and dry summer of last year was 
favourable to the ripening of the bulbs here in the heavy soil.— 
E. Molyneux, Swaiimore Park. 
- The Price of Potatoes.—I t is reported that the returns of 
large growers of Potatoes in Scotland during the past winter has by no 
means been satisfactory. According to the agricultural returns for 
1893, however, the average values of Pototoes imported into the United 
Kingdom have regularly increased from 43. 6d. per cwt. in the 
period 1861-65, to 6 j. lid. per cwt. in 1886-90, the latter average being 
exactly the same in the two years 1891-92. It seems curious that home¬ 
grown Potatoes have depreciated in value, whilst the price of imported 
ones has risen. 
- PiERis (Andromeda) japonica.—A nyone requiring a good 
evergreen shrub for a sheltered position cannot do better than choose 
this one. The flowers, which are produced with great freedom during 
the whole of March and early part of April, are pure white, and borne 
in long drooping racemes from near the tips of the branches. It is a 
peat-loving plant, and to be seen at its best should be planted in a 
mass. By introducing Lilies into the bed a decided advantage is 
gained, as during summer, when the Pieris is out of flower, the bed is 
enlivened by the flowers of the Lilies, which are shown conspicuously 
by the groundwork of dark green foliage.—D. 
-Lecture on Primulas. — At the monthly meeting of the 
National Amateur Gardeners’ Association, which took place at the 
Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, E.C., on Tuesday evening last, Mr. 
J. Martin of Reading delivered an able and instructive lecture 
on Primulas. Mr. T. W. Sanders presided, and there was a good 
attendance of members. Mr. Martin dealt at some length with the 
history of the florists’ Primula, and detailed his experience of 
hybridising, subsequently giving information of a cultural character. 
The lecturer remarked that he had never been able to ascertain the 
origin of the old Double White Primula, a point that might advantage¬ 
ously be settled. Some plants in bloom were sent by Messrs. Sutton 
and Sons for illustrating the lecture. 
- Experiments with Potatoes. —In the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture for the 22nd ult. a record of experiments on Potato crops and 
the use of chemical manures is communicated by Mr. G. Harris of the 
Alnwick Castle Gardens, in which he states that the results, as carried 
out by him, were 4 tons per acre more than from another experimental 
field. If this statement refers to the experiments made at Alndyke 
Farm, Alnwick, last year, I beg to enclose you an extract from the 
“ Alnwick Guardian ” of last month giving the results ai successfully 
carried out by the three gentlemen named, and which, you will observe, 
requires no explanation from me, but points conclusively to the un¬ 
exceptional results, and certainly the reverse of being 4 tons less than 
those in Mr. Harris’s experiments.— Geo. W. Fender, xillerhurn, 
Alnwick. [The lowest weight obtained as stated in the table sent is 
at the rate of 15 tons 11 cwt. per acre, and the highest 21 tons 9 cwt., 
both Magnum Bonums ; but nothing is tabulated to account for the 
difference. The extract is singularly incomplete.] 
