Jannary 26, 18f3. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
71 
IMPRESSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. 
I DID not finish mv self-imposed task last week of glancing through 
the first January nunftier of the Journal and jotting down a few im¬ 
pressions, the result of reading the different articles. The subject of 
packing fruit, which was “ mentioned,” is one of great importance, and 
is only referred to now for making an observation founded on experi¬ 
ence. The best of fruit may be spoiled by bad packing, and its value 
brought down 500 per cent, in tw'enty-four hours. Some time ago I was 
prospecting a very large house and very fine crop of Black Hamburgh 
Orapes. These were grovvn by an amateur purposely for sale, and he 
was then selling the fruit in his district for 2s. a pound. At that price 
it paid him very well, but he anticipated a fall of fid. a pound, and as 
he had observed the Covent Garden Market prices, and thought his 
Grapes as good as any he had seen in London, resolved to send a large 
consignment there. 1 endeavoured to dissuade him, pointing out the 
liability to injury in transit and a possibly overladen market bringing 
down values, but all I could do was to induce him to make his first 
consignment smaller than he projected ; and as I knew to whom he was 
sending the Grapes—a fruiterer of high standing, dealing direct with 
consumers, there was no difiiculty in arranging that i should see the 
cases opened ; indeed, the consignee was only too gla<l for me to do so. 
It was a sorry sight to see the “ rubbed ” and shaken Grapes, some 
having been broken, and the whole having a bedraggled appearance. 
Would I give fid. a pound for them ? was the question asked, and 
only a negative reply could be given. “ In this ca.se,” remarked the 
fruiterer, “ I will not offer a price, but as the lot is small will have the 
Grape.s sorted and make the best of them, sending the man the money 
in full and request him not to send me any more Grapes.” The best 
were sold for fid. a pound, some for 4d., and some were unsaleable. The 
fruit could have been sold for Is. fid. a pound at home. The best Black 
Hamburghs in the same shop with these damaged Grapes were being 
sold for 2s. The loss indicated was caused w'holly by bad packing, as 
thousands of pounds are lost yearly in the transit of tender fruit long 
<iistances to its destination. Old hands do not make such blunders, and 
if Mr. Pettigrew^'s article on page 8, and this comment thereon, with 
the example given, lead to greater care in the work under discussion we 
.shall not have written in vain. 
I CAME across an old story the other day of a Scottish “ daft ” breath¬ 
lessly running, as he explained to an interrupter, to the funeral of his 
relative Lord Somebody. On being tol t his lordship was alive, Jock 
observed, he “ didna care for that, there were sax doctors at him, and he 
would be deid before he (the daft) got to his journey’s end.” That is 
the gist of the tale as I remember it. It reminded me of the doctors 
who have been consulting over the case of the Royal Horticultural 
Society and prescribing accordingl}'. It must be supposed that “ Dr. 
Masters’ Committee ” have been instrumental in nominating the four 
gentlemen, whose names are published on page 41, for filling the 
vacancies of the retiring members of the Council; at least, if they have 
i!Ot done so, they have done nothing that the public yet know about. 
Let it be assumed that all the nominees are fit and proper persons for 
the position to which they are introduced, as others might be who are 
passed, then we find three out of the four of the nominees for the 
Council also members of the Consultative Committee, which looks very 
much as if they had been engaged in nominating one another. The 
interesting lesson to be learned from the results of the deliberation of 
the Council’s advisers appears to be this—If you wish to push yourself 
into prominence take an active part in passing resolutions and getting 
on a reforming Committee. 
With a sincere wish for the prosperity of the Royal Horticultural 
J^ociety, and doing my little best to assist by adverse criticism and 
otherwise, I am very far from satisfied with the constitution, as proposed, 
of the new Council, and, so far, fail to see that the special committee 
have done an atom of good. The “trade” is represented on it, it is 
true, or one section of the trade, for the tv,’o nominees are not only 
both nurserymen, but practically London nurserymen. The country 
trade is ignored, the important manufacturing trade is ignored, the seed 
trade is ignored, and the great body of professional gardeners is ignored. 
Whether this is the insult of the action of the Council or of their advisers, 
or both, matters not; the fact remains that the Council is not fairly 
representative ; and I do not hesitate to express an opinion that I am 
positive is shared by many, that it would be better to have no traders in 
the governing body than to have such a one-sided arrangement as is pro- 
pore 1. One representative of London and one of provincial nurserymen, 
one of the seed and one of the manufacturing trade, with two profes¬ 
sional gardeners of good standing, leaving nine seats for independent 
gentlemen of business capacity and scientific attainments, including Dr. 
Masters and Mr. Hibberd, would be a much better balancing of all the 
interests that are identified with the work of which the Society is, or 
ought to be, the head, and by which it should be supported. A high 
policy of e.xcluding professionals, or a liberal policy including all the 
branches, would bo intelligible, and either one preferable to the half¬ 
hearted scheme that is indicated in the nominations that will only 
.satisfy the minority. The support of the majority is wanted, and this 
cannot be had without securing their sympath.y. The gardeners of the 
kingdom may be the best helpers in advancing the interests of the 
Society and gaining for it supporters, or the reverse, klany will be 
sorry to see their existence i.s not recognised in the projected scheme of 
remodelling the directorate, and it 's a pity they were so carefully 
excluded from the Consulting Committee that wa.s proposed and 
appointed in December. This is all I have to say this week, and it is 
perhaps as much as is wanted.— Spectator. 
Events of the Week. —The following are the principal meetings 
during the week, from January 2fith to February 1st. Thursday, 2Cth 
inst.. Meeting of the Royal Society at 4..80 p.m. ; Friday, the 27th, The 
Quekett Microscopical Club at 8 p.m.; Saturday, the 28th, The Royal 
Botanic Society, Regent’s Park, at 3.4.5 P.M.; Wednesday, February 1st 
The Society of Arts, at 8 p.m. 
-The schedule of prizes of the Great York Gala for the 
current year’s June exhibition is just issued, and over £600 is offered in 
prizes. For Roses in pots and for cut blooms £123 is oSered, about £50 
for Orchids, which include special prizes from Messrs. Backhouse ard 
Son, £104 10s. for the various classes of Pelargoniums, £60 for fruit, 
including good prizes for a collection, and special prizes for Pansies, 
Violas, double and single Pyrethrums, &c. 
-- We are requested to announce that Her Majesty s First Com¬ 
missioner of Works has entrusted Messrs. Oakshott & Millard, 
Seedsmen to the Queen, Reading, with the order for supplying Grass 
seeds for the Royal parks. 
_ The Weather. —“ B. D.” sends this note on the weather in 
the north from the 16th to the 23rd January. “ A variable week of 
frost, fog, and fine weather. The bat was flitting about on the evening 
of the 16th. Frost occurred on nights of the 18th and 19th, when 
and 2° were registered, followed by a dense fog on the afternoon and 
night of the 20th. The 22 nd was a really fine day with west wind ; 
bees were enticed out here and there by the sunshine. Snowdrops in 
bloom.” In the neighbourhood of London the weather has been dull, 
with little sunshine until Monday, which was a clear bright day. The 
temperature has varied from 28° to 40° at night. 
- On Saturday last the heads of departments and clerks engaged 
at Messrs. Webb’s Royal Seed Establishment, Wordsley, Stour¬ 
bridge, had their usual annual banquet at the Mitre Hotel, Stourbridge. 
About fifty were present, and after justice had been done to the excellent 
repast provided, Mr. J. P. Hitchings was, in the absence of the prin¬ 
cipals, voted to the chair, and an enjoyable programme of vocal and in¬ 
strumental music was gone through. The toast, “ Success to Messrs. 
Webb & Sons,” given by the Chairman and responded to by Mr. 
Berrington, was enthusiastically received. 
- Mr. E. Butts, Leigham Court Gardens, Streatham Hill, 
writes “ Permit me to add a few words to your very brief notice of 
Mr. McLaurin’s death. He was for upwards of thirty years gardener 
and manager of the outdoor department generally on the Farnborough 
Hill estate. For nearly a quarter of a century he was the trusted 
servant of the late Thomas Longman, Esq. After that genlleman s 
death the estate passed into the hands of the ex-Empress Eugenie, Mr. 
McLaurin still retaining hh post and enjoying the same confidence as 
with his former employer. During Mr. McLaurin’s stay at Farnborough 
Hill the gardening part of the establishment underwent a complete 
change ; new grounds were laid out a new kitchen garden was made, 
and a new range of forcing houses erected. Few men in a similar posi¬ 
tion enjoyed more respect than Douglas McLaurin, and with him passed 
away a fine type of a man. In his young days Mr. McLaurin passed 
some time in the Sheffield Botanic Gardens (I believe under Mr. 
Marnock), and also at Putteridge Park, under the late Mr. Robert Fish.” 
_ Bouquet Judging and Exhibiting. —A correspondent 
writes—“ 1 think ‘ A Learner,’ Mr. Chard, Mr. Garner, and ‘ Amateur 
Florist ’ will be pleased to learn that chiefly owing to the articles on 
bouquet showing lately published in the Journal, the Committee of the 
Richmond (Surrey) Horticultural Society have fixed the size of bouquets 
at the forthcoming Summer Show on July 4ih as not to exceed 18 inches. 
Also * A Gardener ’ will be glad to know that out of the two classes 
