1.8 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 23,1888. 
tion of the fact, shall, so far as I can help in the matter, be enrolled 
in the list of worthies of 1888. 
I HAVE been specially requested to turn my attention to the 
master-and-gardener-and-exhibiting question, but before doing so I am 
constrained to indulge in a few observations on my own account. I 
have a lurking suspicion that your plain-spoken correspondent, “ Ex- 
perientia docet,” has at some time or other seen some of my letters ; 
anyway he hits me rather hard. I will plead guilty to being one of 
the worst of writers to the Journal, and hereby acknowledge my 
obligations to the compositors who “ set up ” my copy so well. How 
they pick out the letters passes my comprehension. But they manage 
not only to do that but to correct the spelling and gi’ammar^ or at 
least somebody does, when there happen to be mistakes. I mention 
this as encouraging to would-be writers who hesitate in sending letters 
for publication because they are not perfect in all points. If they wait 
for perfection they will wait for a lifetime. Perfection is a Divine 
attribute. It may be approached but not attained ; and there is only 
one way of approaching it—namely by practice, perseverance, and the 
elimination of faults. In the maicei of writing editors do the eliminat¬ 
ing. Sometimes they have been good enough to eliminate more than 
half of what I have written. In that way they become educators ; and 
I could tell a story or two about pupils having profited by that form of 
teaching to an extent that would surprise the multitude. I have to be 
content with a humble position, but that is my own fault, and I ought 
to have made myself a better writer. By the way, in reference to your 
correspondent's signature, “ Experientia docet,” he may perhaps be 
amused to hear that it has been rendered into bothy English as 
experience does it ”—a practical translation, he will admit, though 
not literally exact. 
The exhibiting question must stand over, as I have found by 
experience that the longer my contributions are the longer they have to 
wait, and the shorter they are the sooner they appear, and I begin to 
fear, if I do not stop, my string of observations nmy be again crowded 
out altogether.—S pectator. 
Events of the Week. —On Thursday, the 23rd inst., the Eoya 
Society has a meeting at 4.30 P.M. The Quekett Club meets on Friday 
at 8 P.M. ; the Royal Botanic Society on Saturday at 3.45 P.M. ; the 
Royal Geographical Society on Monday at 8.30 P.M. ; and the Society of 
Arts on Wednesday, the 27th inst., at 8 P.M. The usual auction sales 
will be held at King Street and Cheapside. 
—— The Royal Horticultural Society. —At a meeting of the 
Council of this Society, held last Tuesday, the resignations of Mr. 
William Lee and Mr. Sidney Courtauld were acceptal, and the Council 
appointed Mr. T. B. Haywood and Mr. J. Wood bridge as their suc¬ 
cessors. The Rev. W. Wilks was chosen Secretary of the Society in 
place of Mr. Lee, resigned. 
- We regret to learn that Mr. A. H. Smee was taken suddenly 
ill last Thursday morning, having ruptured some deep-seated muscles in 
his back, causing very acute pain. He has been confined to his bed 
since. Just as we are going to press we are glad to hear he is now 
progressing favourably. 
-At the last meeting of the Royal Hortcultural So¬ 
ciety’s Fruit Committee at South Kensington a silver Banksian 
medal was awarded to Messrs. T. Rivers & Son for the fine col¬ 
lection of Oranges, referred to in our report on page 120. 
- The schedule of the Scottish Primula and Auricula 
Society is just to hand, and from it we learn that the Dowager Duchess 
of Athol has become the Patroness of the Society, with Robert Cath- 
cart. Esq., Pitcairlie, Fifeshire, as President. The second Show will be 
held in the Calton Convening Rooms, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, on 
May 9th this year, when prizes and certificates will be ofiered in twenty- 
two classes. As the result of last year’s Show the Society has a favour¬ 
able balance of £8. 
-The Weather. —Mr. W. K. Woodcock writes from Sheffield, 
‘ We are having very cold weather here now, wind E.N.E. Snow 
falling every day, and frost each night. The first real winter we have 
experienced this season.” Fr«m Scotland “ B. D.” writes—“The week 
ending the 20th inst. has been wintry throughout. An average of about 
7° of frost has been experienced nightly, except on one night 14°. The 
Scotsman contains a report of 4° below zero (!) on the grass on the 
night of the 14th at Aviemore, Strathspey. Only once have we had 
half that intensity during the winter in South Perthshire. Snow, 
varying from 2 inches to over a foot in depth, fell generally over the 
country on the night of the IGth, and still lies, though somewhat les¬ 
sened by the bright sunshine.” In the south and other parts of England 
much snow has fallen, but around the metropolis it soon melted, though 
the wind for several days has been exceedingly cold. ' 
- Writing I from Old Warden Park, Mr. G. R. Allis remarks— 
“ From the 13th to the 19th inst. the Weather has been pf a very 
stormy and winterly character. Snow has been falling more or less 
since the 13th inst., followed by G° and 7° of frost on most nights, with 
a keen north-easterly wind. The ground is covered with snow from 
G inches to 8 inches deep, a good deal having melted as it fell. We have 
had about 12 inches altogether. Gardening and farming operations are 
at a standstill, consequently many labourers are thrown out of work ; 
but the water produced by the snow will be beneficial to the land, as the 
springs are low and water scarce—so much so that some farmers have 
to cart water long distances for stock and household purposes ; but this 
short supply will be accounted for when I mention that the rainfall for 
1887 was3 only 1G'7G inches—very much below the average rainfall ; 
but in referring to the rainfall of 1884 I find it was even less, as then w® 
only registered 16'74 inches.” 
- Packing Fruit.— “ W. H.” writes :—“ On reading your corre¬ 
spondent, ‘ R. W.’s,’ criticisms upon Mr. Pettigrew’s mode of packing 
mixed fruits, I could not find anything in w’hat he had written to be of 
the least benefit to the readers of the Journal. It is to be regretted that 
he did not give some advice on the subject, which is of so much 
importance, and I think when anyone writes ito condemn another's 
method he ought in justice to give his own.” 
- We are informed that Mr. B. W. Cleave, Kewcombe House. 
Crediton, who it may be remembered was the owner of the fine plants 
so successfully exhibited of late years by Mr. George Lock, died on 
February 3rd, and was buried amid every token of respect on February 
8th. The deceased gentleman took great interest in his plants and 
flowers, and w’as extremely popular among all classes of society in the 
district. 
- The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Walkley (Shef¬ 
field) Amateur Floral and Horticultural Society held on 
Friday evening last proved more than ordinarily interesting. Mr, 
T. B. Hague (President of the Society) occupied the chair, and there 
was a large attendance of members. Mr. J. Shipman, a former Secretary 
of the Society, read a very instructive paper upon the “ Florist’s Tulip.”' 
By far the greatest interest of the meeting, however, was centred in the 
exhibits placed upon the tables, which were numerous and generally 
meritorious, but especially so in the case of those from Mr. W. Corp,. 
manager to Mr. Duncan Gilmour, junr.. Rose Grower, Sandygate, which 
comprised about fifty cut blooms of Tea Roses, beautifully fresh flowersi 
artistically arranged wdth their own foliage and Maidenhair Fern 
fronds. The most conspicuous varieties were Catherine Mermet and 
its beautiful white sport. The Bride, several very fine blooms of each 
also Sunset, Rubens, Marie Van Houtte, Madame Caroline Kuster, and 
Niphetos. Of the latter a grand flower more than 3 inches in depth 
and very full was shown, also a large box of cut blooms of Rhododen¬ 
dron Lady Alice Fitzwilliam, each flower being about 4 inches irk 
diameter, very stout in texture, and of the purest white (these, as ex¬ 
hibited in a large Rose box, with a groundwork of dark green moss and. 
relieved with fronds of Adiantum cuneatum, were highly effective), and 
a number of pots of the old double white Primula, well grown, and 
densely flowered. Several new members were enrolled, and a very en¬ 
joyable evening was spent. 
- Horticultural Club. —There was a large attendance of 
members at the annual dinner of this Club on Tuesday the 14th inst., 
when the chair was occupied by Mr. John Lee, and amongst those, 
present were Dr. Hogg, Rev. W. Wilks, Messrs. J. D. T. Llewelyn, 
Crowley, Harry J. Veitch, W. Bull, H. Turner, H. J. Pearson, Chas. 
Pearson, H. Herbst, J. S, Cussens, C. T. Druery, George Deal, T.. 
Francis Rivers, Geo. Bunyard, George Paul, A. F. Barron, and George; 
