November 17,1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
425 
cut flower arrangement. The plant is quite hardy, but it likes a little 
shelter, and it keeps up its American character by doing best in a mix¬ 
ture of peat, loam, and sand. A bed of Kalmias is a grand feature, and 
m planting them in this way the whole of the old soil should be taken 
out of the bed, refilling it to the depth of 2 feet 6 inches with the com- 
post recommended. In planting single specimens a few barrowloads of 
old soil should be taken out, filling up with some of the proper material 
before planting. 
Hardy Azaleas. —I am reminded of these at- the present time, as 
some large bushes here are glowing with their rich autumnal tints, and 
they are objects of special beauty twice a year. It is impossible to 
over-estimate the beauty of these Azaleas when in flower in early 
summer, and all who grow them will be attracted by their exquisite 
colours and delightful fragrance. They come out with the Rhododen¬ 
drons, and although these may be more glaring than the Azaleas they 
are not so pleasing. Little groups of them in sma ! l gardens are always 
valuable, and where there is much pleasure ground or good woods they 
may be scattered about profusely. They delight in a sandy and peaty 
soil, but will also grow in ordinary material. They are deciduous, and 
may be planted a little while before the leaves fall in autumn or any 
time during the winter. As they do not grow very fast it will be many 
years before they attain the' proportions of large bushes, but they are 
always compact, and therefore admirably adapted for small gardens. 
There are single and double-flowering varieties ; all are prettv, and 
should always be planted in variety. The mixed colours of these 
Azaleas are so pleasing that I would plant four or five dozen varieties. 
Halesia TETraptera. —-This is commonly called the Snowdrop 
lree, and is not very often planted, but it has a good habit of growth 
with pleasing foliage, and when in flower in early summer it is highly 
interesting, as the branches all bear a large number of pendant white 
flowers, which have a strong resemblance to the Snowdrop. It will 
grow freely and bloom profusely if planted in any garden amongst a 
general collection of trees, and all who know anything of good shrubs 
will always regard it as valuable.—J. Muir. 
We desire to thank Contributors who have favoured us 
with reports of Chrysanthemum Shows, and notes on other subjects of 
interest, though all of them cannot be promptly inserted during the brief 
period of the November exhibitions. 
A correspondent writes :—“I do not think much of Mr. Wink- 
worth’s contrivance for measuring Chrysanthemums, for the reason 
that it only gives the horizontal diameter, which in itself is very mis¬ 
leading in regard to the actual size and quality of the flowers. It is a 
common occurrence for the ugliest and worst of flowers to give the 
greatest horizontal diameter.” 
- W E regret to learn that the well known continental rosarian, 
M. Francois Lacharme, died at Lyon on the 5th inst. M. Lacharme 
was born at St. Didier - sur - Cheronne, France, on January 28th, 
1817. He was the son of an agriculturist, but early formed a liking for 
Roses, and in 1836 was apprenticed to M. Poncet of Lyon. He after¬ 
wards spent some time in Paris, and in 1840 took Mr. Plantier’s nursery 
at Lyon, where he has since raised many fine Roses, of which we may 
mention Alfred Colomb, Captain Christy, Charles Lefebvre, Comtesse de 
Serenye, Hippolyte Jamain, Louis Van Houtte, Madame Lacharme, 
Victor Verdier, Violette Bouyer, and Xavier Olibo amongst the H.P.’s. 
and Madame Willermoz and Madame Lambard amongst the Teas. 
- An Aylesbury correspondent writes :—“ Having taken the 
Journal in for many years, may I ask your assistance in again obtaining 
two or three plants of PRIMULA erosa ? for I have applied unsuccess¬ 
fully to several nurserymen who were likely to have it. A few years 
ago I had any quantity, and distributed it largely amongst my friends, 
but it is gone both from my own garden and theirs, i think if the 
Journal would kindly notice this want, and ask for information where 
it may be now obtained we should hear of it, and I could regain my 
lost pet.” 
- The beautiful Conservatory at Abberley Hall, Stour. 
port, is rendered gay just now by the very fine collection of Chrysan¬ 
themums grown by Mr. Young. There are fine blooms of such varieties 
as Lady Selbome, Fair Maid of Guernsey, Dr. Macary, Elaine, Mrs. 
G. Rundle, Madame C. Audiguier, Mr. Bunn, King of the Crimsons, 
Lord Alcester, Empress of India, and Queen of England. Besides 
plants bearing flowers of exhibition quality, others are grown in bush 
form foi de orative purposes, and th se are now a mass of bloom. 
- A somewhat large collection of Bouvardias is grown at 
Dover House, Roehampton, and the plants are of the utmost value in 
affording bright and fragrant flowers for cutting. They are sturdy 
little specimens a foot high, growing in 5-inch pots, and are flowering 
profusely. Several varieties are grown, including Priory Beauty, soft 
rose, very free ; Elegans, rosy red, also very floriferous and useful ; 
Dazzler, bright scarlet; Vreelandi, white ; President Garfield, double, 
pale salmon, a well known and beautiful variety ; and Alfred Neuner, 
double, pure white, free and good. 
- We have received from Sir Archibald Dunbar of DufEus House, 
N.B., specimens of fruit grown in the garden there which challenge the 
productions of our more favoured southern climate. We have seen some 
very fine specimens of Grosse Calebasse Pear, but we have no record of 
any exceeding that which is now before us, which is 9 inches in length 
and which weighs 1 lb. 14£ ozs. ; Gansel’s Bergamot is nearly 11 inches 
in circumference, and weighs 14 ozs.; Doyennedu Comice weighs 10ozs.; 
Hacou's Incomparable, 11 inches in circumference, weighs 12 ozs.; 
Sinclair, 4J inches long and 3j inches in diameter, weighs 11 } ozs.; and 
Durondeau, 5J inches long, weighs 13J ozs. A splendid specimen of 
Peasgood’s Nonesuch Apple was the finest we have ever seen, being 
If.j inches in circumference and weighing 1 lb. 3.1 ozs. The conditions 
under which these were grown will be found in the following communi¬ 
cation which accompanied the fruit :—“ The garden is situated between 
the county town of Elgin and the shores of the Moray Firth, sheltered 
from the north by a hill which rises about 200 feet above the level of the 
sea, while the garden is only about 55 feet above sea level. Sir A. has 
had a sort of experimental garden here for upwards of forty years. He 
now finds that only about one-fourth of the varieties of Pears mentioned 
in Dr. Hogg's valuable descriptive catalogue, tried here, succeed, and 
these onlj' on the walls. Both early and cooking Apples do well ; but 
late varieties of first-rate Apples also require a wall. A few varieties of 
Plums and Damsons succeed and bear abundantly, and all sorts of 
Geans and Cherries are almost a certain annual crop. Being anxious to 
encourage fruit-growing in these parts, Sir A. gives grafts or cuttings 
freely.” 
- Mr. Joseph Mallender sends the following Summary of 
Meteorological Observations at Hodsock Priory, Worksop, 
Notts, for October, 1887 :—Mean temperature of month, 44-9°. 
Maximum on the 28th, 587° ; minimum on the 26th, 24’0°. Maximum 
in the sun on the 2nd, 10S - 6° ; Minimum on the grass on the 26th, 17 - 2°. 
Mean temperature of air at 9 A.M., 45 - 3. Mean temperature of soil 
1 foot deep, 467°. Nights below 32° in shade, five ; on grass twenty. 
Total duration of sunshine, ninety-one hours, or 28 per cent, of possible 
duration. We had seven sunless days. Total rainfall, 174 inch. Rain 
fell on fourteen days. • Maximum fall in twenty-four hours on the 8th, 
0'62 inch. Wind velocity exceeded 400 miles on two days, and fell 
short of 100 mil s on three days. Average velocity, 97 miles per hour 
Approximate averages for October :—Mean temperature, 4S’2°. Rain¬ 
fall, 2-84 inch. Sunshine (six years), eighty hours. Another dry and 
very cold month. The mean temperature is lower than any of the last 
ten years except 1880, when it was the same. The nights were espe¬ 
cially cold, and the number of frosts on the grass is very large. 
-Carter’s Provident Sick Fund.—T he second annual meeting 
was held on Tuesday, the 8th inst., in the warehouse of Messrs. James 
Carter & Co., Queen’s seedsmen, High Holborn, one of the spacious floors 
being specially cleared for the purpose. It was attended by about 250 
members, who by the keen interest displayed in the proceedings showed 
their appreciation of the benefits which had been obtained by the estab¬ 
lishment of the fund. The chair was occupied by the manager, Mr. 
C. H. Sharman. The report and balance-sheet were read and adopted, 
various suggestions for increasing the usefulness of the Society being 
given, and the necessary amendments of the rules made. During the 
second year of the Society’s existence the number of members on the 
register had risen from 268 to 353, all of whom were employes in various 
departments of the business. A further sum of £20 was added to the 
reserve fund. A donation of £10 was made to the Hospital Saturday 
Fund, and not the least pleasing feature in the meeting was the solicitude 
displayed by the members to make a provision so early in the Society’s 
existence for the assistance of widows or orphans of deceased members, 
