232 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 25, 1886. 
grouping with the other plants, and Orchids will include some fine 
Cattleyas, of which large numbers are advancing, Odontoglossums, and 
many valuable varieties. 
- We have been favoured with an advance copy of the first 
portion of the Earl of Onslow’s work, “ Landlords and Allotments,” 
published by Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co. We can only say now that 
it is a timely and useful publication, eminently worthy of perusal by all 
who are interested in the question on which it treats. The diligence of 
the author is very apparent, and he merits the success he has undoubtedly 
achieved in collecting a great amount of valuable information on an im¬ 
portant subject that is now receiving a large share of public attention. 
-We have received a copy of the report and balance sheet of the 
Hull Chrysanthemum Society, which we are glad to observe 
is in a flourishing state. Nearly 7000 visitors attended the show 
last year, and £112 10s. was awarded in prizes. The balance at the 
bankers has been raised from £77 13s. 6d. last year to £173 Is. 9d. 
at the "present time—an increase that justifies the policy that was 
pursued, and also the re-election of George Bohn, Esq., Chairman ) 
with Messrs. Charles Judge and W. W. Cogan as Honorary Treasurers 
and It. Falconer Jameson and W. Hawks worth as Secretaries of the 
Society, which is recorded. The next show will be held on November 18th, 
and schedules are in preparation. 
- Mr. W. Daniels, The Gardens, Hall Cross, Mirfield, sends us [a 
flower of Eucharis grandiflora with ten petals, and remarks :— 
“ We grow a good many Eucharises, but never had a flower like the one 
enclosed. The bulb is planted out amongst others ; the spike has seven 
other flowers to open.” Eucharis flowers occasionally come with a greater 
number of petals than usual, and the instances have been rather numerous 
this season. Many cultivated plants vary in this way, approaching the con¬ 
dition of double flowers. 
-A Chrysanthemum Society has been formed at Wells, 
Somerset, and the first exhibition will be held in the Town Hall on 
November 21th, 1886. For a first attempt the prizes are fairly liberal, 
and there is every prospect of the Society being well supported in the 
neighbouihool. Mr. A. G. Andrews is the Honorary Secretary, and 
several practical gardeners are on the Committee. 
- Any person in quest of a lovely hardy conservatory or greenhouse 
climber can readily find one in Clematis indivisa lobata, which is so 
easy of cultivation. At the present time there is in the glass corridor of 
the Birmingham Botanical Gardens a fine plant loaded with its beautiful 
white star-shaped blossoms, with plenty of buds to open, and it is not 
only so valuable as a climbing decorative plant, but the flowers are so 
lovely and valuable for working up into sprays for ladies’ shoulder-knots 
as well as for wreaths and crosses, and much can be done by the use of 
branches of flowers in decorations. 
- The 103rd exhibition of the products of horticulture of the Royal 
Floral Society of Brussels will be held in that city on April 25th, 
26th, and 27th of the present year. The schedule comprises 134 classes, 
and about forty gold medals are provided, with a great number of silver- 
gilt and silver medals to be competed for on the occasion. M. Lubbers 
26, Rue de Berger, is the Secretary of the Society. 
- “ J. W.,” Cookbridge Tower Gardens, Leeds, writes :—“ On page 
218 in Journal for last week I notice remarks on a curious Cine¬ 
raria. Enclosed you will find several similar blooms. All the blooms 
on the plant are alike, and I only have this one out of 150 plants. I 
cannot give any reason why the one should be distinct from the rest.” An 
TJxbridge correspondent also sends examples of a similar freak. 
-The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Botanical and Horticul. 
tural Society will hold their Show this year on the following dates— 
Wednesday and Thursday, April 7th and 8th, and Wednesday, Thursday, 
and Friday, July 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Numerous classes are provided 
at each Show, and the prizes will be of the usual liberal character. The 
Secretary is Mr. T, J. Gillespie. 
-- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. George Cook, foreman Eridge 
Castle Gardens, has been appointed gardener to Mrs. Wilson, Rauceby 
Hall, Sleaford, Lincolnshire. 
- Mr. Bardney writes :—“ Since the winter has passed away we 
have had warm weather and bright sunshine in the Liverpool district, with 
occasional showers. Sunday was almost like summer, and Narcissus and 
the buds of fruit and other trees could almost be seen growing under its 
influence. Crocuses have sprung into flower all at once, for on Saturday 
only odd ones were visible, but the following afternoon they were a 
glorious show. If the present weather continues, in two or three days our 
light soil will be in workable condition, planting and seed-sowing will 
be pushed forward as rapidly as possible.” 
- In the years 1837, 1838, and 1839 a very interesting work, “ The 
Floral Cabinet,” emanated from the Botanical Gardens, Birmingham, 
edited by Mr. G. B. Knowles, then Professor of Botany in the Birmingham 
Royal School of Medicine, and in the volume for 1837 is a coloured plate of 
Begonia Octopetala, which is described as a perennial. Root tuberous. 
Leaves large, kidney shaped, measuring 12 inches across and 6 inches in 
depth. Petals four (in the male flowers occasionally five), some of the 
flowers being 3 inches in diameter, and first cultivated in the Paris 
Garden from seeds sent from South America about the year 1778, by Mr, 
Joseph Dombey, the celebrated botanist and traveller. A plant is in the 
collection at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and Mr. Latham has not 
yet flowered it, although he has had it for four years, but he intends 
blooming it if possible this summer. It is, however, very rare now, but 
the size of the flowers is somewhat remarkable in a Tuberous Begonia of 
fifty years since. 
-A Leeds correspondent sends us some flower-heads of a remark¬ 
ably fine White Cineraria, one of the best varieties that we have seen. 
The florets are broad, of great substance, and rounded in form, the out¬ 
line of the bloom being sufficiently good to satisfy a florist, while the 
contrast of the bright purple centre is very striking. Our correspondent 
states that he has fifty florets from offsets, which he finds very useful for 
decoration, one plant in a 6-inch pot having eighty blooms. In some of 
the best strains it is strange that, though so many rich and bright colours 
are represented, white is scarce, or of a dull dirty hue. 
- The usual monthly meeting of the Royal Meteorological 
Society was held on Wednesday evening, the 17th inst., at the Institu¬ 
tion of Civil Engineers, Mr. W. Ellis, F.R.A.S., President, in the chair. 
Mr. W. E. Addison, Mr. A. W. Claydon, M.A., F.G.S., Mr. T. B. Moody, 
R.N., and Dr. W. Schlich were balloted for and duly elected Fellows of 
the Society. The President gave an historical sketch of the barometer. 
After remarking on the accidental nature of the discovery of the instru¬ 
ment in the year 1643, in its best form, in ignorance for some time of its 
value for purposes of meteorological inquiry, he gave a brief account of 
many early kinds of barometers, the first endeavour being in consequence 
of difficulties experienced with the ordinary mercurial form to enlarge the 
scale of variation, attempts which, in general, introduced other errors and 
inconveniences. The desire to experiment on elevated positions induced 
the construction of an early form of portable barometer, one such with 
cistern completely closed leaving the air to communicate through the 
pores of the wood having been made above 200 years ago. The President 
further described various points in the arrangement of the Ramsden, Gay 
Lussac, and other barometers, including also mention of some modern 
patterns of long range barometers, standard barometers, and such 
barometers as are more commonly used. The practice of driving out air 
from the mercury by heating or boiling appears to have been in use early 
in the last century. Engraved plates indicating the weather to be 
expected with different heights of the mercury have been longer used, at 
least as early as 1688. As regards correction for temperature, De Luc in 
the last century adopted a temperature corresponding to 54 - 5° Fahr. as 
that to which to make reduction, because corresponding nearly to the 
average of observations, such reduction being now made to the natural 
zero, 32° F. Reference was made to the employment of water (as in the 
well-known Royal Society barometer) and other liquids instead of 
mercury ; also to various kinds of floating and other barometers not at all 
or not entirely mercurial, and to metallic barometers. The President 
concluded his account with a sketch of the history of recording barometers 
or barographs, including a notice of the application of photography and 
electricity to recording purposes. At the conclusion of the President's 
address the meeting was adjourned to afford the Fellows and their friends 
an opportunity of inspecting the valuable and interesting exhibition of 
barometers. 
ODONTOGLOSSUMS AND CATTLEYAS. 
This year we have kept our Odontoglossum house several degrees 
warmer than we have ever done before, and the roots of the plants are in 
capital condition, better than has been the case in previous years. Our 
thermometer is in the centre of the house, and we have been in the habit 
