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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Cc ober It. 1*8. 
were present. The President warmly congratulated the members upon 
the great success of the Society and the excellence of the programme 
for the autumn session. He likewise drew their attention to the valuable 
horticultural education such societies and meetings must be giving to 
the younger members of the profession. He remembered with very 
great pleasure presiding at the first meeting which was held to 
inaugurate that Society, inasmuch as it was one of the most useful and 
one of the most successful societies that sprang into existence during 
the three years of his mayoralty. At the close of his remarks Mr. It. 
Parker, The Gardens, Impney Hall, Droitwich, gave a most practical, 
instructive, and interesting paper on " Essential Points in Connection 
with the Successful Cultivation of our Hardy Fruits.” He dealt with 
his subject in an exhaustive manner, dwelling upon the importance of a 
wise selection of stocks ; of the value of a high, dry, and sheltered position, 
and a limited selection of such varieties as are suitable for the district 
in which they are to be grown. A lengthy discussion followed, which 
brought out much useful information, and a suggestion from Mr. A. 
Outram that a record should be kept in the library for the use of the 
members of such varieties that arc known to do well in the district. A 
unanimous vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Parker for his valuable 
paper, a similar vote being most enthusiastically tendered to Sir 
Thomas Martineau for presiding. The meeting then adjourned till 
October 10th.—J. H. 
- A free course of ten lectures on Elementary Botany and 
the Principles of Gardening will be delivered in the Lecture Hall 
of the Mechanics’ Institute, Woolton, Liverpool, on Thursday evenings, 
at 8 P.M., commencing on Thursday, October 11th, by R. J. Harvey 
Gibson, M.A., F.R.S.Ed., Lecturer on Botany in University College, 
Liverpool. The main object of the course will be to give an account of 
the structure and uses of the various parts of flowering plants, and the 
principles on which they arc artificially cultivated. The origin of 
cultivated from wild plants, the diseases to which plants are liable, and 
the means adopted for the prevention and cure of such, will also be 
discussed. No scientific knowledge will be assumed, and the lecturer 
will aim at making the lectures as free from technicalities as is con¬ 
sistent with accuracy. A detailed syllabus will be distributed previous 
to each lecture, giving an abstract of the subjects considered therein. 
The lectures will be illustrated by magic lantern views, and, as far as 
possible, by actual specimens. The following is a detailed statement of 
the subjects of the individual lectures Lecture I. Animal and plant 
life, and the relation of plants to animals in nature. II. The general 
structure of the plant. The food of plants, and the method in which it is 
collected. III. The structure and uses of the various parts of the 
plants. IV. The structure and uses of the several parts of the flower, 
and the way in which they become altered to bring about cross-fertilisa¬ 
tion. Y. The origin and growth of the adult plant from the seed. YI. 
The means artificially adopted for improving and multiplying the plant. 
VII. The origin of cultivated from wild plants, illustrated by examples. 
VIII. Parasitic plants, how they live, and how they may be got rid of. 
IX. Carnivorous plants. X. The plants of the past, and their relation 
to the plants now existing on the earth. 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Auriculas.— Judging from what I have seen with others, and from 
my own small collection, this cold summer with its cloudy skies and low 
temperature has been favourable to the Auricula. The plants look 
sturdy, nor has there been so much autumn bloom as usual. There are 
some sorts which are more inclined to do this than others, but even with 
these I do not see so many autumn trusses. Where they do appear it is 
better at once to remove the pips if the stem ha3 not risen much above 
the foliage, as there is less likelihood of the stem damping off aud so, 
perhaps, injuring the plant ; but if the stem has shot up to any height 
the top may be pinched off. All plants that have thrown these autumn 
flowers should be carefully watched, as the stem in decaying may injure 
the plant. For the same reason it will be necessary to remove all dead 
and decaying foliage from them, for there is nothing which is so 
injurious to the well-being of the Auricula as damp. The frames should 
be carefully gone over, and if there is any 3ign of green fly it should be 
at once got rid of. If not very numerous ihe application of a brush 
may be sufficient, only care should be taken to brush the under side of 
the leaves, and in so doing to hold the pot on one side so as not to allow 
the aphis to fall on the surface of the soil, for if they do they will 
inevitably soon crawl up to their old quarters. But perhaps the most 
effectual thing is fumigation ; it dees not hurt the plants in the least, 
and the smoke penetrates to every part of the plant. I at onetime used 
to be afraid to use tobacco for this purpose, but I no longer fear it. As 
to woolly aphis, he has ceased to be the bugbear he used to be. It is not 
found to be injurious to the roots, but when it is found clustered round 
the collar of the plants it should be removed by the finder and thumb. 
When all these minutiae have been attended to, and the frames have 
been well cleaned, and if necessary painted, the plants should be removed 
to their winter quarters, facing the south. Water must now be given 
sparingly, depending on the weather ; if that is bright and sunny they 
will require it oftener than if it be dull and cloudy. Nor is it well to 
water all the plants indiscriminately ; it will be seen which require it 
most, and it is better to take a little pains in this matter than to give an 
over-supply that may injure the plants. Air should be given whenever the 
weather is at all favourable, and when the nights become cold mats 
should be provided to cover them ; but above all things avoid damp and 
drip from the lights. Treat the plants as hardy, but keep them from frost, 
not so much for the sake of the plants as for the bloom, which suffers 
from it. 
Carnations and Picotees.— The season has been a peculiar one for 
these plants. My own small collection did very well, but the grass 
made growth so late, and the bloom was so late also, that the layering 
was [ ostponed to a much later period than usual, it being far into 
September before even my small collection was finished. At the same 
time, the grass looks unusually healthy. It will now be time to take off 
such layers as are rooted. They should be either potted singly or in 
pairs; the compost used should be simply good loam, and a little coarse 
sand or grit to keep it open. The advantage of potting them thus is 
that when planted out the roots are very little disturbed, and growth 
goes on at once. Here too, as with the Auricula, damp is the chief enemy 
to be avoided. This causes spot on the leaves, and impedes the well¬ 
being of the plant. When potted they should be placed in a frame 
and kept close for a few days. They should then be removed to a 
frame or frames placed facing the south, and water should only be 
given when actually require!. Air should be given on all suitable 
occasions, and indeed until frost sets in the frames may be kept open 
night and day. I may here say that I have had a most satisfactory 
bloom, and owing to the kindness of Mr. Douglas and Mr. Laken have 
been enabled to enjoy the sight of some of the newer varieties which 1 
should otherwise have missed. 
Gladiolus. —Towards the end of the month some of these may 
possibly be ready for lifting, although I do not think that there is 
need to be in a hurry about them. Some advocate the lifting of them 
when the foliage is quite green, but we do not do that with other bulbs, 
nor think it is advisable with these. The French growers say that 
November 5th is the proper time for lifting, and if they, with their drier 
autumns, think so, surely it ought to be much more so with us. There 
is, of course, a great difference even in our islands, and in late districts 
it may be necessary to loosen the roots by slightly raising them with a 
fork, but in the more southern parts this is not necessary. I have never 
had a finer bloom, although very late; and indeed have now, September 
29th, a stand of twelve in my hall, with which I should not be afraid to 
enter the lists with any amateur, and I have had less signs of disease 
amongst them than I ever remember, so that, on the whole, I am in¬ 
clined to think that they prefer a wet to a dry season. When they are 
taken up they should be carefully dried and put away in some place 
where frost cannot reach them. 
Pansies. —As I grow my small collection of these in pots I am now 
taking the old plants from the open, where they have been growing 
since the spring, and am dividing off and potting them for the winter. 
I find this to be, perhaps a lazy, but a good plan, sufficient for my 
purpose. Perhaps were I an exhibitor I should be more careful and 
strike them from cuttings, but plauts treated as I do mine give me a 
beautiful bloom, and the flowers are as large as any I see at exhibitions. 
I grow none but Fancy varieties ; indeed the old Show varieties seem 
pretty well elbowed out now, and for one Show there are fifty Fancies 
grown, and no wonder, they arc so much more varied in colour and more 
robust. 
Ranunculus.— The Persian varieties will only need to be looked 
over in order to see that there is no damp about them, which is very 
injurious to their well-being; indeed, if it gets at all a hold on them it 
is fatal, but it will be time in the early part of November to plant the 
Turban varieties, which are not so much grown as they ought to be. 
They will grow in any good garden soil provided it is not too heavy, 
and being perfectly hardy they give in early spring a large quantity of 
beautiful flowers. 
Tulips.— If the ground is in good order any time early in November 
is suitable for planting these bulbs. There seems to be a prospect of 
the revival of the fancy for them in the south. In the north they have 
always held their own, and I can remember when they were largely and 
well grown in the south. I remember going to see Groom’s collection 
at Walworth, and those of amateurs at Sevenoaks and other places, but 
now, “None, alas! so poor as to do them reverence.” Yet are they 
most gorgeous and beautiful flowers, and although a great fuss was made 
about them in former days, it is very questionable whether it was all 
necessary. There is one thing that intending growers should remember, 
that it is a mockery, delusion, and snare to look to Dutch growers for 
what we want. I had a collection from a very eminent Dutch firm, and 
I may safely say that there was hardly one amongst them that would 
come up to the requirements of an English fancier as what a rectified 
Tulip is—stained bases to the petals, the colours right down to the 
bottom, pointed and ill-shaped flowers were all too common, so that I 
have been trjdng to eliminate them ever since, the principal difficulty is 
to know where to buy them. 
Of Roses and Chrysanthemums I have said nothing, because such 
ample directions are given from week to week in the Journal that it is 
unnecessary. Rose growers will now be in a wild state of excitement, 
mailing alterations, getting in new kinds, and clearing out those 
