June 10, 1886.] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
465 
Day, Esq., Terrace House, Southampton. Mr. J. Garrett, who for several 
years has had charge of the floral garden and ornamental department in 
the Royal Gardens, Kew, and was formerly of the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, has been appointed head gardener to A. B. 
Mitford, Esq., C.B., Batsford Park, Moreton-in- Marsh, Gloucestershire. 
- At the meeting of the Royal Meteorological Society, to 
be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on Wednesday the lGth 
instant, at 7 P.M., the following papers will be read :—“ Note on a Sudden 
Squall,.January 13tb, 1886,” Robert H. Scott, M. A., F.R.S., F.R.Met.Soc. 
“ The Floods of May, 1886,” by F. Gaster, F.R.Met.Soc., and W. Marriott, 
F.R.Met.Soc. “On Atmospheric Pressure and its Effect on the Tidaj 
Wave,” by Capt. W. Nelson Greenwood, F.R.Met.Soc. “ Meteorological 
Results at Levuka and Suva, 1875-1885, with Notes on the Climate of 
Fiji,” by J. D. W. Vaughan, F.R.Met.Soc. 
From an abstract of the reports of the Gardening Societies form¬ 
ing the Yorkshire Association of Horticultural Societies we 
find the Barnsley Society numbers 110 members, the Leeds Society 133, 
the Rotherham Society 48, the Sheffield Floral Society 90, the Hallam- 
shire Society 40, and the Wakefield Paxton Society nearly 200 members. 
The meetings of this Society are held at the Saw Hotel, Westgate, every 
Saturday evening at eight o’clock, when lectures cr essays are given. 
One of the principal features of the Society is the library, which contains 
about 300 volumes of scentific and practical works. During the summer 
an exhibition of cottagers’ window plants and competitions for naming 
wild flowers is held, which gives great encouragement to the working 
class and school children to cultivate and study flowers. The Rev. F. D. 
Horner’s excellent address on the objects of the Association and lecture on 
the Auricula are incorporated with the Report. 
- According to the Abstract of the Agricultural 
Returns we find that 197,539 acres were under fruit culture in Great 
Britain in 1885—an increase of 2816 acres over 1884. The area of 
market gardens last year was 59,473 acres, an increase of 6698 acres over 
the year preceding. Nursery grounds are represented by 12,594 acres in 
1885, an increase of 82 acres on 1884. The increase under fruit culture 
in England is 2587 acres, in Wales 67 acres, and in Scotland 72 acres. In 
England there was an increase of 6022 acres of market gardens over the 
preceding year ; in Scotland an increase of 543 acres ; in Wales a decrease 
of 67 acres. In nursery grounds the increase in England was 156 acres ; 
but Wales shows a decrease of 3 acres, and Scotland of 61 acres. 
- Mr. William Cattanach, gardener to W. Connal Black, Esq. 
of Kailzie, Peebles, sends the following Weather Report for 
Peeblesshire :— “ The winter of 1885-86 will long be remembered in 
this locality for its 'ength and severity. On September 1st the thermo¬ 
meter registered 1(P of frost, killing all softwooded bedding plants. 
Autumn cuttings of Pelargoniums, Sea., were scarcely to be had. Potatoes 
were killed. The weather was generally good till November 15th, when 
10° of frost was registered; 16th, 17°; 17th, 17°; 18tb, 20°. Fresh 
weather set in up to December 6tb, when 8° was registered ; 71h, 22° ; 
8th, 20-’. Soow fell on the 9 h ; on the 10th, 22° ; 11th, 14°. Weatber 
very changeable with occasional frosty nights to the end of the month- 
Sn-iw ell to the depth cf 2 inches on the 29tb. Total amount of frost 
for December, 120°. January beg n wi'h storms of snow and raiD, and 
all through the month was most remarkable for its cbangeableness from 
mild to extreme cold and frost, the lowest registers being on the 6th, 22°; 
7th, 30°; 18th, 28°; 19tb, 30°; 20th, 28°. Total amount tf frost for 
January, 218°. Although the frost was not so severe in February as in 
January, it was of longer duration. Fro-t on twenty-four nights, with a 
total of 182° for the month. On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th there were respec- 
tively 14°, 27°, and 27°. There was a good deal of snow lying nearly all 
the month. March came in “like a bon on the 1st and 2nd snow 
fell to the depth of 12 inches, with a strong gale of wind from E.N E. 
and up till the 18th the cold was as intense as in January, the total 
am unt of frost for March being 157°. April was a cold month with 
strong winds ; little or no frost until the 30tb, when 8° was registeredj 
and on May 2nd, 5°. All winter vegetables, such as Broccoli, Brussels 
Sprouts, Savoys, and even Leiks, were almost totally destroyed ; also all 
autumn-sown vegetables, plants, Roses and Rhododendrons (ponticum), 
and common Laurels, have all snffeted severely. Thirmometer from 
Negr tti & Zambra, London ; registere 1 at New ; placed 3£ feet above 
ground facing north, and stands about 550 feet above sea level." 
A correspondent sends us the following clipping from the 
Standard on Bacteria in soil :—“ The vindication of the character of j 
humus as an important source of crop nutrition, disparaged by Liebig, 
with his mineral theory, may be said to have resulted from the researches 
of MM. Sohloesing and Muntz, continued by Mr. Warrington of Rotham- 
sted. These chemists have fully demonstrated the important act’oa 
known as nitrification, carried on by bacteria, to which the tame 
Micrococcus nitrificans has been given, the result being the production of 
nitrates in soils rich in organic matter or humus. In order to test the 
importance of this process of soil-fertilisation, or rather of conversion of 
elements of fertility from an inert state to one suitable for the nourish¬ 
ment of plants, Professor Laurent of the School of Horticulture, Yilvorde, 
Belgium, last year carried out some careful experiments, a record of which 
has been sent to us. Buckwheat was grown in pots under four different 
conditions—namely, 1, In natural soil ; 2, In earth first sterilised, but 
afterwards inoculated with bacteria of the soil; 3, In sterilised soil; and 
4, In sterilised soil with the addition of chemical manures. The con¬ 
ditions of the experiment were such as to exclude the inoculation of the 
sterilised soils in the third and fourth series. On the occasion of the first 
observation recorded the plants of the first series were the most robust ; 
those of the second were healthy, but not as forward as the first; while 
the plants in the soil free from bacteria were comparatively puny ; though 
those of the fourth set, having the aid of artificial manures, were superior 
to those of the third. The results were summarised in the following table, 
averages being given :— 
No. of 
No. of 
No. of 
No. of 
Series. 
Leaves, 
Leaves, 
Flowers, 
Seeds, 
Aug. 28. 
Sept. 11. 
Sept. 13. 
Sept. 29. 
1 
9 
15 
126-33 
94-67 
2 
6 
1317 
128 
96 
3 
3-G2 
6-62 
58 
23 5 
4 
4-C 
10 
88-4 
CG 75 
Thus the action of bacteria in nitrifying the organic constituents of the 
soil had a greater fertilising effect than chemical manures consisting of 
nitrate of potash, undissolved phosphate, sulphate of lime, sulphate of 
magnesia, and sulphate of iron.” 
ROYAL NATIONAL TULIP SOCIETY. 
This Exhibition took place as usual in the Gardens of the Manchester 
Botanical and Horticultural Society at Old Trafford, on the 5th inst., and 
proved to be much larger in extent than was at first expect- d, a greater 
number of flowers being staged than last year, but very many of them 
undersized. The cool weather of the preceding few dayB had saved the 
Rev. F. D. Horner’s flowers for this exhibition; the blooms in his beds were 
generally past their best, yet he was enabled to show in good form, and 
carry off the leading honours of the day. It is worthy of note that in the 
extreme north of England Mr. Horner’s head of bloom was nearly over; 
but in the Oldham district Mr. Barlow found great difficulty in obtaining 
enough blooms sufficiently forward to enable him to compete in a few of the 
leading classes. The flowers were arranged as usual on tabl s placed down 
the centre of the new show house, and the weather was all that could be 
desired. 
The class for the best twelve dissimilar blooms, two feathered and two 
flam-d flowers, brought eight stands, the Rev. F. D. Horner, Lonfells, 
Cariifortb, Kirby Lonsdale, being first with the following varieties in fine 
quality: — Feathered Bizarres : Commander and Dr. Dalton. Flamed 
do.: Sr Joseph Paxton, a variety that rarely fails to be good, and Orion, 
very bright. Feathered Roses : Nancy Gibson, m the best form, and Annie 
McGr gor. Flamed do. : Annie McGregor and Mabel. Feathered 
Bybice uens : Mrs. Cooper and Talisman. Flamed do. : Talisman and 
Duchess of Sutherland. In case of any misconception arising on the part 
of our readers we may state that a feathered flower only has no flame or 
beam of colour running up the centre of the petal, and that a flamed flower 
must of necessity be feathered also; also that the same variety, such as 
Annie McGregor or Talisman, for instance, may be shown as f athered only, 
and a so as flamed, according to the character it assumes for the time. 
Second Mr. James Thurston, Sp ingfields, Wolverhampton, with feathered 
biz. Asolepias, a new and bright-looking flower raised try the exhibitor, and 
Sulphur; fid. do., Dr. Hardy and Sir J. Paxton ; fe v h. rose, Mrs. Thurston, 
a very phasing and attractive flower; and Mo.lesty; fid. do., Mabel and 
Lady O. Gordon ; f-ath. byb., Adonis and seedbng 39/3; fld. do., Talisman 
and Constant.. Third Mr. D. Woolley, MiHnat--, Sto kport, with feath. biz. 
Mrs. Miller and Sir J. Paxton ; fld. do., Merit and Sir J. Paxton ; feath. rose, 
Julia Farmese, with bread and deep coloured feathuing, and Heroine; 
fld. do., Annie McGregor and Mabel; feath. byb., B-s-de and seedling ; fld., 
Adonis and seedling. Fourth, Mr. W. Kitchen, Marple ; fifth, Mr. John 
Wood, Roy ton. 
In the class for six varieties, one feathered and one flamed in each class, 
there wire eight competitors for eight prizes, the Rev. F. D. Horner 
being again first with feath. b ; z. Masterpi -oe ; fld. do., Orion ; feath. 
mse. Modesty; fld. do., Mabel ; feath. byb , M . Cooper; fld. do., Duchess 
of Sutherland : a very pretty and even lot. Second Mr. D. vVoolley with 
f ath. biz, Sir J. Paxton : fld. do., the same variety ; feath. rose, Julia 
Farmuae; fld. do., Mabel; feath. byb. se-dling; fl. do., A lonis. Third 
Mr. J. Thurston with feath. biz. seedling 7G/7 ; fid. do., Sir J Paxton ; feath. 
rose, Modesty; fld. do , Ladv C. Gordon; f* a h. bvb., Adonis; fld. do., 
T disuian. Fourth Mr. John Wood. Fifth Mr. W. Kitcuen. Three other 
prizes were awarded. 
There was a class for six blootnr, also for six Tulips, the competition 
confined to half-guinea subscribers, and seven stands competed. Mr. Hugh 
