September 10, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
229 
the Friday to the collecting of specimens, and to their examination and 
arrangement by the experts, and on the Saturday to hold an Exhibition 
of fresh and preserved botanical specimens, microscopical objects, 
drawings, See. The Exhibition will be mainly confined to subjects from 
the vegetable kingdom, but not necessarily to the Cryptogamia, although 
that division will hold a very important place. The Exhibition will be 
opened at four o’clock on Saturday, October 3rd, in the large ballroom 
attached to the Roebuck Inn, Buckhurst Hill. Ample time will thus be 
afforded for its careful examination by the visitors present, and all possible 
facilities will be given to exhibitors. The arrangement of the mycological 
specimens will, as usual, be under the control of Dr. M. C. Cooke, Mr. 
Worthington Smith, Mr. Warton, and other well-known fungologists. 
The management of the microscopical department will be in the hands of 
Mr. Frederick Oxley, F.R.M.S., and others, 
- “ C. R.” writes —“ Omphalodes Lucille does fairly well 
here planted between large pieces of limestone. As to slugs, I have 
tried what is, so far, a certain preventive. It consists of a collar of 
sheet zinc bound near the top by a ring of copper wire. It should then 
be pressed into the soil so as to leave no entrance for the slugs.” 
- In the Collection of Gladioli at the Crystal Palace 
from Mr. Alex. E. Campbell, Cove Gardens, Gourock, N.B., were many 
handsome varieties, which being especially well grown showed their 
characters most effectively. A few of the best are the following, which 
are selected chiefly for the distinctness of ihe shades and the massiveness 
of the spikes—Adolphe Brongniart, rose tinted orange ; Amalthea, white 
tinted violet; Archduchess Maria Christina, white tinted lilac; Bella¬ 
donna, white shaded with lilac and carmine ; De Mirbel, rose, very hand* 
some ; Dido, white with a lilac tint; Horace Yernet, brilliant red, very 
bright and showy; Ida, white with a carmine shade; Marie Dumortier 
white streaked with rose ; Marquis of Lothian, rich rose colour ; OQdine, 
white violet spots ; Princess Mary of Cambridge, white with carmine 
spot; and Rossina, rosy red, white spots. 
-Mr. J. Mallender sends the following Summary of Meteor¬ 
ological Observations at Hodsock Priory, Worksop, August, 1885. 
—Mean temperature of month, 56-0°. Maximum on the 16th, 74-8°; 
minimum on the 15th, 36-3°. Maximum in the sun on the Cth, 128 - 8° . 
minimum on the grass on the 15th, 29 0°. Mean temperature Of 
air at 9 A.M., 56 8. Mean temperature of soil 1 foot deep, 58.3°. 
Warmest day the 10th ; coldest day the 27th. Total duration of 
sunshine in the month, ninety-four hours, or 21 per cent, of possible. 
We had eight sunless days. Total rainfall, 2 58 inches. Rain fell on 
ten days. Average velocity of wind, 8 '4 miles per hour ; exceeded 
400 miles on two days ; fell short of 100 on six days. Temperature, loth 
mean and extreme have been considerably lower than in any of the 
previous nine years. Sunshine, less than in any of the last four years, 
and not half as much as last year. Rainfall about the average. Number 
of rainy days small. Sunshine much needed for fruit and fruit trees. 
-A Gigantic Climber.—Bauhinia Yahlii, the stem of which 
sometimes attains a circumference of 5 feet (!) is thus noticed in the pro¬ 
ceedings of the Horticultural Society of India. From Captain Pogson, 
enclosing a letter to him from Mr. Smythies, Deputy Conservator of 
Forests, Dehra Doon, and forwarding a parcel of Bauhinia Vahlii seeds. 
Mr. Smythies says, “ This is one of the commonest climbers in India, and 
has a wide range. I should be glad if the natives would eat the seeds, 
pluck all the leaves, and cut down all the stems of this climber in our 
forests. We wage war against it, and have already cleared a considerable 
tract in Rangarh of this weed. The stem is sometimes 5 feet in girth, 
and the leaves range up to 18 inches in diameter. We annually grant a 
large sum for the destruction of this climber, and eventually shall ex¬ 
terminate it ; but it will be a work of time. In the open forests, I am 
afraid, it will remain for ever.” 
-The Annual Dundee Flower Show, under the auspices of the 
Dundee Horticultural Society, was opened in the Drill Hall last Thurs¬ 
day. The season having been favourable, there was a magnificent display 
in every department; and the general opinion that the Show was one of 
the best ever held by the Soc'ety was amply confirmed by the Judges, 
who unanimously declared the Exhibition to be superior to that of any 
provincial town. There we e 220 competitors, and the entries numbered 
1906, classified thusPlants, 222; cut flowers, 487 ; fruit, 405 ; vege¬ 
tables, 656 ; and honey, 136. Though the weather was showery there was 
a large attendance of visitors during the day, and in the evening the hall 
was crowded. A sum of £51 was taken at the gates. The Show 
remained open till Saturday night. 
- The groups of early-flowering Chrysanthemums at t 
Crystal Palace Show last week, though not arranged to the best 
advantage, included some very pretty varieties which are particularly 
useful at this time of year. The white Mrs. Cullingford, the yellow 
Flora, the purple La Bien Almde, together with Early Blush, nanum, and 
G. Wermig, were noticeable varieties. The best of all, however, was 
the floriferous Madame Desgranges, of which some very beautiful plants 
were shown, one from Mr. G. Christinas being uncommonly good in habit 
and number of blooms. By the exercise of a little taste some attractive 
groups could have been arranged, but very little was shown by any of 
the exhibitors. 
- At the Sydenham Show last week Mr. W. E. Bennett, Condover, 
Shrewsbury, exhibited the SimpleSS Flower Pot Cleanser, which 
attracted much attention from the gardeners present. It is a simple 
machine in the form of a tank, with two cylindrical brushes of different 
length side by side, which are turned by a handle, quickly and effectively 
cleansing the inside and outside surfaces of a pot at the same time. 
By the assistance of this cleanser, which is easily rranaged, pots of any 
size can be rapidly and thoroughly washed, a matter which is often of 
considerable importance in gardens when o’her work is pressing and 
labour is limited. 
- In preparation for the National Pear Conference, to be 
held at Chiswick in October this year, cards are being issued 
with spaces for giving the name, season, average fertility, stock, and 
general description. These are intended to be used by exhibitors for 
each separate dish or variety submitted. Exhibitors will be requested 
to fill in the required particulars wherever it is possible to do so. Where 
the name of the variety or the stock may be unknown the space may be 
left blank. The cards being numbered, exhibitors should, in packing 
their fruit, use a corresponding number with each variety. At the close 
of the Exhibition these cards will be collected and retained by the Com¬ 
mittee for future reference. A form to be filled up by exhibitors has 
also been prepared, which are intended to give the following informa¬ 
tion :—Exhibitor’s name and and address. Number of varieties exhi¬ 
bited. Situation where grown, sheltered or otherwise, aspect, &c. 
Character of soil, subsoil, &c. Selection of varieties most suiteu to 
district, arranged for the tollowingSseasons—viz., July and August, three 
varieties; September, three varieties ; October, six varieties ; No¬ 
vember, six varieties; December, six varieties; January to March, six 
varieties. Selection of varieties suited for orchard cultivation, not 
exceeding twelve. Selection of stewing Pears, four varieties. General 
remarks, as to modes of cultivation, pruning, stocks, &c. By means of 
these forms, which can be had on application to Mr. A. F. Barron, it is 
hoped that a great amount of useful information will be obtained for 
subsequent'classification. 
PINKS FOR FORCING. 
All who desire a good supply of sweet fragrant white flowers 
in succession during the spring months should establish in from 
3 to 6-inch pots a quantity of the common w’hite garden variety 
and Mrs. Sinkms. If a coloured variety is also appreciated Ascot 
may be used, for it strikes root freely, flowers profusely, and is 
a good grower. The sooner these are well established the earlier 
they can be forced into flower, and if cuttings are inserted or 
plants potted now they will be well established before winter. 
The plants for 3 and 4-inch pots should be raised by inserting 
six or eight cuttings in each pot, which will soon strike root in 
moderately sandy soil if well watered, kept close and shaded in a 
cold frame for about a fortnight. The cuttings root best when 
taken off with a portion of the old wood attached. The plants 
for 5 and 6-inch pots should be lifted from the borders, and if 
small pieces were planted out last autumn or spring for this 
purpose they will be large enough and may be potted without 
division. If plants of a suitable size do not exist large clumps 
may be lifted, divided, and potted, placing a little sand about 
their stems, from which they will soon commence to form fresh 
roots Those lifted with a good quantity of active roots and care¬ 
fully placed in pots may be stood in a shady position outside until 
they have commenced to root afresh, when they should occupy 
an open sunny position. The divided plants containing few if 
any fibry roots should, if possible, be kept close and shaded in a 
cold frame until root activity has commenced. When lifted at 
this season of the year the plants very soon establish themselves 
