414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 24,1894. 
Aquileghi Stuarti. —This striking plant, with deep blue sepals and 
white petals, was shown by the President, Sir Trevor Lawrence. Ic is 
an improved form of A. glandulosa, refined in colour, very large and 
attractive. 
CoryantJies Wolfi. —This singular species first flowered in Europe 
by Mr. F. W. Moore, Keeper of the Botanic Garden, Glasnevin, was 
referred to the Committee on account of the specialised character of 
the flowers, which are orange-coloured spotted with reddish chocolate. 
The hood is concave and almost solid. In every other species it is 
helmet-shaped and hollow beneath. The horns at the base of the 
column are very large. The plant is a native of Ecuador, and grows 
on Cacas trees in the littoral districts of the Guayas. It flowers when 
these level lands are mostly inundated. The flower spikes are stiff and 
upright, and not pendulous as in other species. 
[Notwithstanding that the above meeting was held on the 8th inst., 
the report did not reach us until the 17th, several hours after our 
last issue had been printed.] 
SEVERE FROST—DAMAGE TO CROPS. 
The frosts of the nights of the 19th and 20th of May were more 
destructive than any I recollect so late in the season. As a gardener I 
measure frosts more by their effects than by the minimum register of 
the thermometer; Few flowers which were out have escaped uninjured ; 
the plants of Polygonum cuspidatum, which were 6 or 7 feet high, are for 
the most part killed to the ground. I have grown the plant for twenty- 
five years, and such a destruction has never happened to it before. 
—C. Wolley-Dod, Edge Hall, Cheshire. 
The frost of last night (May 20th-21st), coming so soon after two 
really hot days, has done a great deal of damage in East Anglia. I do not 
know the amount of frost, as my thermometer was in an unfavourable 
position. Potatoes and Dahlias are cut to the ground, Tomatoes and 
Runner Beans killed, the blossoms of Noble and other tender Straw¬ 
berries completely done for, but Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury looks 
uninjured at present. Even this year’s growth of the common Ivy 
is completely cut back and blackened. I have no doubt Roses are 
severely injured ; many shoots are blackened and drooping already. 
I think this is the most destructive frost that I have ever experienced 
in my garden.— W. R. Raillem. 
Last night, the 20th inst,, 12° of frost were registered on the grass, 
and 6° 3 feet from it in the gardens here. Great damage has been done 
to early Potatoes and French Beans, and I fear the Strawberries, which 
are in flower, will be seriously affected by such severe weather, as many 
of the flowers look black already. Chrysanthemums have not been 
injured in the least.—H. Denkin, Warwich. 
After such a fine spring we are suffering severely here now with very 
cold north-east wind, very little sunshine, and cold snowstorms. This 
morning. May 21st, we had 11° of frost. Potatoes are all cut down, early 
Strawberry blossoms killed, and I fear Apple blossom and other things 
are much injured. It is very many years since there was such a show 
of Apple and Pear blossom.—W. A. Jenkins, Aldin Grange, Durham, 
In the south the weather has been severe during the past few days. 
One of the meteorological instruments in Hyde Park, occupying a 
rather exposed position, on the night of the 20tb, registered freezing 
point, the mercury having fallen to 32°. Snow fell in Ashford and 
district this morning, on the 21st inst., and very cold weather prevails, 
with intermittent showers of rain and hail. The frost caused serious 
damage throughout the Thames Valley in gardens, and the early Potato 
crops have been seriously affec ed. Potatoes and Runner Beans have 
been seriously damaged by frost in the suburbs of London. 
A Htjngerford correspondent says that a bitter north-east wind 
which has prevailed over the district for three days past culminated 
about five o’clock on the 20th in a snowstorm. During the night there 
was also a severe frost, which has done great damage to Potatoes, 
many of which would have been ready to dig in another week. The 
heavy hailstorms in Yorkshire have done enormous damage to the 
fruit trees; 5^° of frost were registered during the night of the 
20th-21st inst. 
The weather in Forfarshire still continues to be of a very wintry 
nature, with strong north-easterly gales accompanied with showers of 
snow and hail. On the morning of the 20th and 21st 7° of frost were 
registered, with the result that the early crops of Potatoes have been 
frozen to the ground.—T. M. C., Corona, Droughty Ferry, N.B. 
The long-continued spell of untoward weather since April came in 
has at last culminated in frosts and snow. On the 19th several slight 
snow showers occurred, and on the morning of the 20th the thermometer 
stood at 23°, and on the 21st it registered 25°. On the evening of the 
20th, after frequent snow showers throughout the day, a heavy one 
began at six o’clock P.M., continuing for half an hour, covering the 
ground with snow as completely as it had been midwinter, the tempera¬ 
ture at the time being 3.5°. 
Everything of a tender nature is cut to the ground. Potatoes are 
completely blackened, and all, bedding plants outdoors and in cold frames 
are destroyed. I never experienced so much damage with the same ' 
temperature, but it must be remembered it was of long continuance, and 
the ground sodden. It is too premature to speak of the fruit, but there 
is no question Currants and Gooseberries are injured, the former much so, 
while Strawberry plants look as if it was December. 
I have before alluded to the similarity of 1843 to 1893, and I 
remember well the year of 1844, and so far as the present one has gone 
it has been very much like it. The summer was cold and wet, serious 
thunderstorms occurring in June and July ; September was hot. The 
Potato disease was very pronounced in some places, and in 1845 it was 
general.—W. T., Lanarhshire. 
[Several other rotes obligingly sent arrived just too late for 
insertion.] 
The National Rose Society.—Dates for Metropolitan Shows. 
This is a question of such interest to all exhibiting rosarians that I 
hardly need apologise for troubling you with some further remarks on 
it. The recent letter published by you signed “ Practice ” may confuse 
some of your readers, as he appears somehow to think the date this year 
falls on the second Saturday in July ; but it falls on the 7th, which is 
the latest possible date for a first Saturday. 
The discussion which was carried on through the winter and spring 
of 1892-1893 on this question partly arose through an attempt made by 
Mr. Pemberton (who, growing on late ground, and showing from 
maidens is a supporter of late dates) to induce the N.R.S. executive, and 
through them the members, to carry out a new arrangement for the 
future Crystal Palace Shows. It was proposed by Mr. Pemberton, and 
seconded by Mr. Lindsell (who I may say is not now quite of the same 
opinion) at the annual meeting in 1892, “ That in future the date of our 
metropolitan shows should be fixed in all years for the nearest Saturday 
to the Gth of July.” This would make the earliest date possible the 
3rd of July, and make it also possible to have as late a date as the 
9th July. The proposal, I am glad to say, was rejected by a large 
majority of the members present, although it was supported by Mr. 
E. Mawley, one of the Secretaries, who gave the meeting a number of 
statistics, which as statistics seemed all right, and who spoke in favour 
of late dates for exhibitions. It was also supported by Mr. J. Bateman, 
who prophesied a terrible season of an arctic character for 1893. How 
well these gentlemen’s figures and prophecies were verified by the weather 
and results of 1893 is now a matter of history, as the season was a torrid 
and not an arctic one. 
The question of dates for this meeting is one which can be discussed 
from various points. 
1. What has been the result in the success of Rose growers from 
various districts at the metropolitan Exhibitions for the last seven years 2 
This is a sufficiently long period to look back on, as we do not require to 
consult the weather records of the early part of the century to arrive at 
what is a fair conclusion and average result in regard to Rose growing. 
Moreover, new systems of culture have partly triumphed over climatic 
difficulties. 
2. Should the fixture of the Metropolitan Show be at a date that will 
suit the majority of the N.R.S. exhibiting members who reside within ^ 
radius of fifty miles from London, or should it be at a chance date which 
may suit no one, or suit either the south or the north alone, according to 
the season, bearing in mind the next following question ? 
3. Vv'as not the Northern Show originally arranged so that those 
members of the N.R S. who resided north of the Trent should thereby 
have some compensation for their supposed infrequent exhibits at metro¬ 
politan shows, and have not these northern meetings proved by results 
that the northern growers win the bulk of prizes at these meetings ? 
I fear that the data from which we could arrive at an absolutely 
accurate idea as to the districts from which the Roses shown at the 
seven most recent metropolitan meetings come cannot now be obtained, 
but for two years I have tabulated this information, and published it in 
the columns of one of your contemporaries. Luckily I had done so in 
1892, as one of the speakers at the meeting in December of that year, 
with more zeal than discretion, stated with other inaccuracies, that 
about two counties were usually represented at the Palace, meaning 
thereby, I presume, Essex and Surrey. As a fact in 1892 sixteen 
counties exhibited, and won prizes for over 7100 flowers ; and in 1893 
there were winning exhibits from twenty counties, Ireland being 
included for 4700 flowers. Essex in both years stood first through the 
exhibiting power of the three great Colchester trade firms and the very 
successful amateur Mr. 0. G. Orpen. 
In his letter “ Practice ” (page 360) showed that the northern 
professionals, Messrs. Harkness, have by their prowess had the lion’s 
share of the trophies in the last seven years ; and whether you take 
their success as that of one firm against all others, or whether you take 
them as representative growers fighting for the north, they have achieved 
more in the seven years under discussion than any grower north or south 
of the Trent. So that as far as the traders are concerned the metro¬ 
politan and northern meetings have not been against the interests of 
the northern professionals. 
