May 6, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
355 
‘‘ W. J.” on the late Mr. Andrew Turnbull of Bothwell Castle 
Gardens, he says, ‘ It is generally known that Mr. Turnbull raised more 
tine seedling Heaths than any man, and that of these plants he was a 
most successful cultivator.’ It may not be uninteresting to many of your 
readers to know what Mr. Turnbull said to me when speaking on the 
subject of crossing and hybridising, as follows :—‘ Notwithstanding all the 
time spent in cross-fertilising and hybridising, all his best seedlings 
without exception were haphazard seedlings,’ finishing his sentence with 
one of his hearty laughs, so characteristic of that gentleman, with whom 
I had been on intimate terms for more than forty years.” 
-We are informed that the Brockham Bose Association have 
•accepted the invitation of Wildman Cat ley, Esq., of Oakdene, to hold 
their show at The Holmwood, near Dorking (station L. B. & S. C.) on 
Saturday, July 3rd, 1886. 
- Mr. R. Begbie, The Gardens, Ravensbury, Ascot, Berks, writes 
as follows regarding the weather: —“Temperature this morning 
{May 1st) 15° of frost registered by Negretti and Zambra’s thermometers. 
'Gooseberries and Pears injured greatly ; also Rhubarb, Strawberries, and 
tender growths generally.” In several districts around London from 6° to 
3° of frost were registered on the same morning, and it is to be feared 
that the fruit blossom has suffered seriously. Numbers of Pear flowers 
we have examined are black in the centre, though apparently uninjured 
externally. 
- Gardening Appointment.— Mr. Angus MacLeod, late fore¬ 
man at Wemyss Castle, Fifeshire, has been appointed gardener to the 
Marquis of Headfort, Headfort House, Kells, Co. Meath. 
-The Leeds Paxton Society held its second ordinary meeting 
on Saturday, 17th ult. (Chairman, Mr. W. Smith, gardener to W. Greeni 
Esq., Roundhay), when a paper was read by Mr. J. Franklin, gardener to 
J. Barron, Esq., late M.P. for the borough, “ On the Habit and Treatment 
of the Calanthes.” Mr. Franklin being a known successful grower there 
was a large attendance. After many questions had been asked and 
answered, a vote of thanks, proposed by Mr. W. Crossley and seconded 
by Mr. Stewart, and unanimously carried, closed the meeting. The 
Society has been established to promote superior culture, the exhibition of 
horticultural products at its meetings, and the reading of essays and dis¬ 
cussions thereon by the members. It merits support and success. 
-Messrs. W. Richardson & Co., Darlington, have been 
awarded a silver medal by the Society of Architects for a patent 
system of ventilation to HORTICULTURAL houses at the Architec¬ 
tural and Building Trades Exhibition, London. 
-The Beds of Bulbs in the London Parks are now at 
their best, and although the plants made such slow progress at first, they 
have proved much better than seemed likely to be the case a few weeks 
ago. In Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, and Regent’s Park the beds are 
bright, but the most effective we have seen are those in the Royal 
Gardens, Kew. Near the Wood Museum is a circle, the centre occupied 
with Tulip Keizerskroon, extremely fine, margined with three lines of 
the fine white Hyacinth Baroness Van Tuyll and the purple Crocus David 
Rizzio, which, however, is now out of flower. Near the greenhouse 
(No. 4) are four beds, two at opposite corners being planted with Tulips, 
Artus (scarlet) and White Pottebakker in the centre a'ternately, edged 
with Yellow Prince and Standard Royal (white feathered crimson). The 
two opposite beds are filled with Hyacinths, the dark blue Baron Van 
Tuyll and the white Baroness Van Tuyll alternately in one bed, and 
Robert Steiger (red) and Alba superbissima (white) in the other. These 
have a capital appearance, the alternation of colour being much more 
effective than masses of one variety. There are also several good beds 
near the Palm house, and we have never seen the greenhouse better 
filled or more attractive than it is at present. 
- Mr. Joseph Mallender sends the following Summary of 
Meteorological Observations at Hodsock Priory, Worksop, 
Notts, for April, 1886 :—Mean temperature of the month, 44 5° ; maxi¬ 
mum on the 27th, 66-7°; minimum on the 30th, 27 0°. Maximum in the sun 
on the 26th, 1231° ; minimum on the grass on the 12th, 19-8°. Warmest 
day, the 2nd; mean temperature, 50'6°. ColdeBt day the 10th, 36 7° 
Mean temperature of air at 9 A.M., 44 9°. Mean temperature of soil 
1 foot deep, 45-2° Nights below 32° in shade, six ; on grass, eighteen. 
Total duration of sunshine in month, 124 hours, or thirty per cent, of 
possible duration. We had five sunless days. Total rainfall, 1*66 inch- 
Maximum fall in twenty-four hours on the 2nd. Rain fell on sixteen 
days. Average velocity of wind 13 1 miles per hour. Velocity exceeded 
400 miles on eight days, and fell short of 100 miles on one day. A col^ 
month, with average rainfall and sunshine. Heavy gales in the first week 
with mild and rather wet weather ; the rest of the month cold, the last 
ten days being dry and the nights in the last week frosty. Vegetation 
still very backward. Fruit blossom very plentiful, and so far not hurt by 
the frost?. 
-One of the finest displays of Tulips we have seen is in the garden 
of J. S. Morgan, Esq , Dover House, Roehampton. The whole of 
the large beds in the flower garden were planted by Messrs. James 
Veitch &; Sons, and the many thousands of fine blooms in rich and 
chaste colours produce a magnificent effect. Mr. Forbes, the gardener, 
has also planted double rows of Tulips round the margin of the Rhodo 
dendron beds and shrubbery borders, where the colours are displayed to 
great advantage by the background of evergreens. Mr. Morgan’s garden 
is remarkable for its high keeping, ample means being afforded for all 
requirements, and these being supplied by a skilful gardener, everything 
is in a most satisfactory state. Fruit is extensively grown in many struc 
tures, some model three-quarter span houses and a very long fruit case 
having recently been completed by Messrs. J. Weeks & Co. It is grati¬ 
fying to observe the excellent manner in which the wall trees are trained- 
They remind of the trees of the past that were ornaments in many 
gardens. Such trees occupy no more time in affixing to the walls than 
when branches are secured in all their crooked deformity, and trees well 
trained yield as much fruit as those of a contrary character. The Plums 
and Cherries on the walls in the garden in question are pictures of 
beauty, and the Peaches and Nectarines under glass are studded with 
swelling fruit. Vines give promise of heavy crops, and great provision is 
made for Tomatoes that are required in large quantities throughout the 
season. Among flowers some grand blooms of Souvenir de Malmaison 
Carnations command admiration, and thousands of plants of the leading 
varieties are grown in beds. Chrysanthemums, too, are extensively 
grown, all the best varieties being included and cultivated well. 
-The title “Queen of the Orchidaceous Plants” has 
been bestowed upon Grammatophyllum speciosum by some writers, and 
the Tropical Agriculturist thus refers to a fine specimen of this Orchid :— 
“At the Government botanical gardens at Bnitenzorg there is now 
flowering an Orchid of gigantic size bearing the name Grammatophyllum 
speciosum, and displaying no less than twenty-eight flower stalks. Each 
of them is on the average 8 feet long. On one stalk alone there are seventy 
flowers, of which fifty were all open together at one time. The flower is 
generally inches in diameter. Each flower leaf is 2f inches long and 
H broad. The colour of the flowers is yellow flecked with brown spots, 
while the curled edge which, taking the size of the flowers into account, is 
particularly small, shows more of a copper colour with brown stripes. The 
flower stalks which, be it noted, are stiff, mostly stand upright, but the 
numerous heavy leafstalks hang down, some of them being at least 10 
feet long. The flowers, like those of most Orchids, remain long fresh. 
This plant grows on a tree about 8 feet above ground, and has completely 
encircled its trunk, One peculiarity in its mode of growth is that the 
numerous roots all grow upwards slantingly. These roots, owing to their 
great number, form a kind of parasol turned upside down. The leaves 
falling from above remain hanging between these roots and decay, doubt¬ 
less serving then as food for the plant. The latter requires, so to speak, 
very little care. The only looking-after called for is indeed now an 1 then 
to cut off decayed leaves or flower stalks. Even in the dryest seasons it 
has never any need of water. Grammatophyllum speciosum grows in the 
jungles of West Java. It is the only one of the species to be found 
throughout the whole island.” 
HEDGES. 
Allow me to thank your correspondent, “ Bailiff and Gardener,” for 
his practical remarks on this subject in this week’s Journal. I had been 
treating some hedges in the manner described, and, seeing the improve¬ 
ment effected, was about to operate on others in the same manner, when I 
wrote the notes referred to. My object in so doing—though I may have 
failed to make it quite clear—was to point out that there are many hedges 
not very satisfactory that may be made much better without cutting down, 
for in some positions a slashed hedge is not very ornamental for some 
time afterwards. Where there are no serious gaps to fill up, I am quite 
satisfied, from my own observation, that a thin-bottomed hedge may be 
made a very good one by sideing it up in the manner described. On the 
farm where a fence is more the object than ornament or shelter, there is 
no doubt the process described by your correspondent is the best. As to 
