December 20,18S3. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
565 
- Mr. Franc Gibb Dougall, 167, Canning Street, Glasgow, 
writes respecting the Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticul¬ 
tural Society : —“ I beg to inform you that the flower shows of this 
Society for 1889 will be held, spring, Wednesday, 27th March, 1889 ; 
autumn, Wednesday, 4th September, 1889. Both to be held in the City 
Hall, Candleriggs, Glasgow.” 
-A Gardeners’ Society for Ealing.—A Society of this 
character has recently been started at Ealing with every promise of 
being most successful. The President is E. M. Wilson, Esq., J.P., and 
the Hon. Secretary is Mr. E. Chadwick, of Hough Hill House Gardens, 
Ealing. Already three addresses have been delivered, the opening one 
by Mr. Bichard Dean ; one on Ferns, by Mr. A. Wright, The Gardens) 
Devonhurst, Chiswick, illustrated by microscopes ; and a third by Mr. 
S. Coulter, on Pruning Fruit Trees. The meetings take place on Thurs¬ 
day evenings, in the Girls’ School Boom, Ealing Green, 
- In a provincial paper professing to deal with horticultural 
subjects an extraordinary description is given of the National Chrys¬ 
anthemum Society’s Exhibition at Sheffield recently, in which 
amongst other strange statements, it is remarked that iff the open class 
for groups of Chrysanthemums arranged for effect there was only one 
entry, which gained “ the first prize of £100.” This will be good news 
for the exhibitor, but he will find it rather difficult to piove his claim- 
Mr. Parker’s address is given as “ Droitwitch.” The paper mentioned is 
also interesting in other departments, for in an article on the Cactus we 
find special reference to “ Epiphillium Tumicatum,” and “Speciossimus 
Jenkensoni or the Bainbow Cactus.” 
- The Big Trees of Australia— “ Is it possible,” says a 
writer in the Melbourne Leader, “ that the big trees on which we have 
been priding ourselves have no more foundation in fact than the 
Australian natives’ legends of the bunyip ? It has been for years an 
article of Australian faith that we licked all creation in the way of tall 
timber, but when a gentleman tries to put it to the test and offers a re¬ 
ward of £20 to anyone who will show him a tree of 400 feet in height, 
with £3 extra for every 5 feet over, no backwoodsman comes forward to 
earn the reward. A tree of 600 feet in height would be rather difficult 
to hide. We either have them in the colony or we have not. And the 
conclusion that everyone will draw if there is no claimant comes 
forward to demand such a very easily earned reward is that our Gums 
are not the M‘Kays they were reported to be.” 
- An article in the Nineteenth Century for December contains an 
article on the Fruit-Growing Eevival by a horticultural editor, 
and in the introductory remarks the following passage occurs. “ In 
1886 a panacea for the agricultural distress was announced in the shape 
of Tobacco growing. •' Eaise Tobacco instead of corn,’ was the burden 
of the advice tenderedito the bewildered agriculturist struggling in the 
throes of a bad season ; and poor Agricola, whom his detractors assert 
is so opposed to innovation, straightway set to work to test whether 
Nicotiana affinis would yield him a better return than corn.” It will 
apparently be news to the writer in question and the editor of the high- 
class publication in which the above is allowed to appear, to learn that 
Nicotiana affinis does not afford the Tobacco of commerce, and has 
never been recommended for culture by agriculturists unless by some 
wild writer utterly ignorant of the subject with which he attempts to 
deal. 
- “ A Few Hints on Watering Plants ” was the title of a most 
interesting, valuable, and practical essay read before the members of 
the Paxton Society at the Saw Hotel recently by Mr. L. Twigge, 
of the firm of Messrs. Twigge & Son, Bradford Boad Nursery, St. John’s. 
The President of the Society (Councillor Milnes) occupied the chair) 
and Mr. Herbert Chapman acted as Vice-Chairman. There was a 
moderate attendance of the members. Mr. Twigge dealt with the sub¬ 
ject in a manner which at once convinced his hearers that he had de¬ 
voted considerable attention to this important and absolutely necessary 
process in connection with gardening. He pointed out that many ladies 
and amateur gardeners frequently kill plants by kindness or over¬ 
watering, whilst on the other hand large numbers of plants are lost from 
neglect or carelessness in lespect of want of watering. After an inter¬ 
esting discussion, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Twigge, 
•on the motion of Mr. E. Fenner of Sandal, seconded by Mr. G. Gill of 
Eastmoor. 
- At a recent meeting of the Manchester Horticultural Society 
Mr. Gleeson of Clumber Gardens, read a paper on The Pine Apple, 
and in the course of a discussion which followed, Mr. Bruce Findlay is I 
reported to have made these observations —“ They were all aware that 
Pines have been for the past twenty years imported into this country 
from the Island of St. Michael. In the year 1868, 471 of these Pines 
were imported into London, eight years later the number had increased 
to 35,000, and he would not be far wide of the mark in saying that the 
number had now reached 100,000 annually imported into this country. 
The cost of producing and delivering them in London is about 5s. each, 
and they could now get good Pine Apples at less than 7s. 6d., which a 
few years ago would have cost two or three guineas each.” We should 
think that the number imported exceeds the total given above, as they 
are frequently sold in consignments of over 5000 in Covent Garden 
Market, and we have seen a large portion of the spacious Floral Hall 
filled with these fruits. Good)Pines can also be purchased at a lower 
rate than that named. 
-At the last meeting of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society’s Floral Committee for the present year, held in the Boyal 
Aquarium, Westminster, recently, there were present E. J. Sanderson, Esq., 
in the chair, with Messrs. Ballantine, B. Dean, L. Castle, G. Gordon, H. Can- 
nell, G. Addison, Kendall, C. Gibson, Swift, G. Stevens, E. Owen, and 
Mardlin. Several novelties were exhibited, and first class certificates 
were awarded for the following varieties. Etoile de Lyon, from Messrs. 
Cannell & Sons, Swanley, a Japanese variety with large blooms and 
broad straight florets of a rich crimson colour. It was also shown by 
Messrs. Laing & Sons, of rather lighter tint. Mrs. W. A. Harris from 
Mr. Beckett of Elstree, another fine Japanese variety, with full blooms 
white tintedjpink ; Caesar, from Mr. Elliott of Jersey, a large or Japa¬ 
nese Anemone, ray florets dull red, centre yellow, but it was not in 
good condition though promising ; Primula sinensis Cannell’s Pink, of 
a very soft clear pink, the flowers well formed and the habit good. Mr 
Beckett also showed fine blooms of Pelican, and Mr. Mursell of 
Streatham had extremely handsome examples of Gloriosum, and 
numerous other varieties were shown of differing merits. 
- A Dangerous Compound.—M r. Iggulden writes I have 
often recommended the use of Smith’s weed killer for destroying weeds, 
and have induced others to give it a trial. In one instance unfor¬ 
tunately the introduction of this poisonous mixture has resulted in the 
death of a Frome child. It appears that about eighteen months ago 
what was left in a barrel was run out into bottles, and the receptacle 
returned to the vendor of the weed killer. During the following 
summer the bottles were supposed to be emptied, and they were then 
set in an outhouse. In the course of alterations recently commenced a 
workman brought his child on the place, and he shortly after was taken 
ill and died. Death was attributed to poison (“ arsenate of soda in 
solution ”), and it was ultimately discovered that the poor boy had 
drank out of one of the supposed empty bottles. According to the 
evidence of the county analyst, a teaspoonful of the fluid found in the 
bottles was said to be capable of killing a child that swallowed it. 
Gardeners who use the weed killer are distinctly informed that it is a 
poison, but it is doubtful if many of us were aware how really dan¬ 
gerous it is. The fact of its being so need not deter anyone from using 
it freely, for these weed killers are great economisers of labour, but it 
ought not to be left about in a careless manner, and certainly not stored 
in bottles. Neither the gardener nor the manufacturer was blamed for 
the unfortunate mishap, and I certainly do not impute any blame to 
anyone. It is what any of us might have done, and I am giving this 
warning in order to deter others from acting in a careless manner where 
poisons are concerned.” 
-- The monthly meeting of the Notts Horticultural and 
Botanical Society was held at the Arboretum, Nottingham, on 
Wednesday evening last, December 12th, for the purpose of hearing a 
number of essays read on “ The Duty of the Employer to his Gardener,’’ 
for which three money prizes had been offered by Mr. Bichard Sankey 
of Bulwell Potteries, Nottingham. Mr. Sankey presided, and amongst 
a large attendance were Mr. Samuel Thacker, Minever House, 
Nottingham; Mr. C. J. Mee, Wollaton Hall Gardens; Mr. J, S. 
Beiliss, Newstead Abbey Gardens ; Mr. N. H. Pownall, Lenton Hall 
Gardens ; Mr. B. Waters, Welbeck Gardens ; Mr. J. H. Walker, Hard- 
wick House Gardens ; Mr. J. B. Meadows, Bock House Gardens ; Mr. Geo 
Wilson, Aspley Hall Gardens ; and Mr. N. Gorman; Mr. Edward 
Steward, Secretary. Seven papers were read by Mr. Steward, who con¬ 
sented to undertake the task, and each of these was highly interesting 
and replete with information and suggestions of a practical character. 
The whole of the papers had been written with much care, and in most 
cases with conspicuous ability. The essays were read under their 
espective noms de aat l tlic prizes were awarded by ballot, the 
