132 
JOURNAL CE HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ August 15,1889; 
to make the necessary arrangements for adjudication and other matters ; 
also for the dinner of gardeners, nurserymen, and friends, to be held at 
the Cannon Street Hotel on the first evening of the Conference, Monday, 
September 24th. As the price is to be 5s. a large gathering is expected, 
and it is thought the date may be convenient for several country 
gardeners and provincial seedsmen making arrangements for visiting 
London on the occasion. With the cordial co-operation of growers of 
vegetables a large, diversified, instructive, and enjoyable gathering may 
be expected. The Conference will then be what its promoters hope — 
a great success. 
- Gabdening Appointment.—M r. Wm. Rye, late gardener to 
R. N. Hooper, Esq., Stanshawes Court, Chipping Sodbury, has been 
appointed head gardener to Captain Belfield, Malmains, Frenchay, near 
Bristol. 
- The Sphinctee Geip Aemoubed Hose Company desire 
ns to announce that they have just acquired a patent for a new wire 
mat, which they claim surpasses all others, being self-cleaning, not 
requiring shaking or beating, and will not rust. 
- A stobm of an unusual character visited the neighbourhood 
of Toddington, eleven miles north-east of Cheltenham, on Sunday 
evening. After a downpour of rain there was a heavy fall of large 
hailstones, covering the ground to over an inch in depth. Many of the 
hailstones were like solid pieces of ice, the largest measuring 1^ inch in 
circumference. Many plants are injured. The ground under Chestnuts 
is covered with fragments of leaves ; Lettuces look as if they had been 
shot; Brussels Sprouts have most of their leaves broken down ; and 
most green vegetables are more or less riddled by the hailstones. Onions 
were so much bruised as to smell quite strong after the storm. Chrys¬ 
anthemums have had a good many leaves cut off, as well as some tips 
cut out. Tomatoes have suffered a good deal ; those in the open ground 
have most of their leaves cut off, the stems very much bruised, and con¬ 
siderable injury is done to the fruit ; but the injury to the fruit will be 
more apparent in a few days’ time. A cold night followed the storm, as 
may be gathered from the fact that some of the hailstones remained till 
far into the following day.—E. Butts. 
- Royal Botanic Society of London.— The fiftieth anni¬ 
versary of this Society was held in the Gardens on Saturday last, Mr. 
John Birkett in the chair. The reports of the Council and Committee of 
Auditors for the year were read. From these it appears that though the 
competition of the present is more severe than at any previous time in 
its history, the year has been a very successful one. The accounts sub¬ 
mitted show a gratifying increase in every branch of revenue over the 
last and for several previous years. The number of Fellows elected— 
viz., 109, is above the average, and the receipts from the various exhi¬ 
bitions amount to £4022 6s., making, with subscriptions, &c., a sum total 
of £7378 13s. 7d., or an excess over last year of above £2000. In the 
more scientific work of the Society the same improvement is seen. 744 
students have received free admissions of from one to three months 
each, and 42,000 specimens of plants and flowers cut for study and 
examinations by the various colleges, hospitals, and medical schools in 
London. The collections of medicinal, economic, and interesting plants 
have been largely increased, and their usefulness added to by more 
favourable disposition and greater space being granted them His 
Highness the Duke of Teck and Mr. H. L. Antrobus were re-elected 
1 resident and Treasurer, and the meeting closed with unanimous thanks 
to the President, Council, Secretary, and executive officers. 
The \\ eat her in July. —July was changeable, with a few 
very cool nights. Some of the days were warm, but only eight were 
bright. The wind was westward seventeen days during the month. 
Total rainfall was 1'60 inch, which fell on sixteen days, and 0'36 of 
which fell on 23rd. Barometer highest 30 49 at 9 a.m. on 1st and 2nd • 
lowest, 29-o0 at 9 p.m. on 25th. Highest shade temperature, 80° on 
30th and 31st; lowest, 40° on 24th; lowest on grass, 38° on 17th A 
good deal of thunder during the month. Garden sprint running 
23 gallons per minute on 31st.—'W. H. Divees, Ketton Hall, Stamford. 
Aloysia citeiodoba.— The young shoots, if taken off before 
they become hard and woody, inserted in light sandy soil, and kept close 
under kandlights placed in a cold frame, will root quickly provided 
the soil is never allowed to become dry till the cuttings are rooted. 
Another important point is to take the cuttings from plants in the houses 
where they have been well syringed ; those from the open air are fre¬ 
quently too hard to strike well, and it is in consequence of such shoots 
being used that “ the Scented Verbena ” has the reputation of being a 
little difficu’t to strike. At any time of the year that young shoots carr 
be obtained they may be rooted with success, although they strike, 
more freely during the spring and summer months.— H. D. 
- One of the best early flowering Jasmines is Jasminum 
eevolutum for a wall; its dense green foliage makes a capital setting, 
for the bright yellow flowers freely produced. A close annual pruning 
in the autumn will suffice to keep a specimen within bounds for many 
years. On a western aspect under a window about 5 feet high to the- 
sill this Jasmine flourishes well; the new growth and freely produced 
blossoms rise over the window sill and partly up the glass, which has a 
pretty effect when viewed from the inside of a room.—T. 
- Blackbibds.—I do not know what others have to say on this. 
subject, but my experience is that under the “ Wild Birds’ Preservation 
Act ” they have become a great nuisance. It is almost impossible to 
keep fruit of any sort except nuts, and netting everything is imprac¬ 
ticable and expensive. Catching and also shooting lessens them for 
a day or two, but fresh flocks come from the woods and fie'ds and 
take their places. It is not unusual in the early morning to open one's 
window and drive a score or more from a Gooseberry bed. Now, what 
may others have to say, and what is the most economical and best way 
to deal with them ?— J. Hi AM. 
- That there is more than one variety of Stephanotis 
floeibunda few people will deny. I lately saw a striking instance 
of this in the nurseries of Messrs. Drover at Fareham, who cultivate 
this plant extensively. With nothing special in the method of culture, 
one plant had blooms much larger than those generally seen, the corolla 
being so much more massive as to present a striking contrast to other 
blooms. In a business of this sort especially a great advantage must be 
secured by cultivating the finest types of any kind of flower. In private 
establishments this rule holds good also.—A. 
- Golden Eldee. —This useful plant should be grown on a 
sunny bank in a mass or in the front of the shrubberies, as when backed 
up by other foliage of a dark colour the effect is improved.' To render 
the leaves larger and of a deep golden tint pinch out the point of 
each shoot, when the colour will commence to deepen at once and will 
remain more golden all the summer than when it is allowed to grow 
uninterruptedly. By pinching the growths a much more compact 
growth can be assured than when allowed freedom. The tallest bushes 
can be regulated to a nicety to give the best effect, as in a sloping 
position a larger area of golden foliage is seen than when the front 
row of plants is allowed to grow the tallest. By timely and judicious 
pinching a better effect is obtained than by allowing the growths ta 
ramble at will.—E. M. 
- Athebstone Show. —A correspondent writes “ By this post 
I send an account of the Atherstone Flower Show. I promised the 
Committee I would endeavour to get a report in the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture, and should feel much obliged if you would give a short space to 
it. The Show is one of the best in the Midland counties, and the quality 
of the cottagers’ exhibits was beyond praise. You will see that financially 
the Exhibition was a great success.” [Both this letter and report were 
misdirected, and only reached this office in time for the insertion of the 
above few lines. Short original reports of shows are at all times pre¬ 
ferred to long extracts from newspapers.] 
- Vibubnum Opulus stebilis. —This Guelder Rose is the most 
showy of the Viburnum family, and is much appreciated in the shrub¬ 
beries, where it produces its snowball-like heads in great profusion, if it 
be accorded a favourable position as to light and freedom from 
other shrubs. To supply flowers for cutting it is also valuable, and for 
wreaths it is most useful. Much depends upon the method annually 
practised in the matter of pruning this shrub. If it be closely cut in 
every year, few flowers may be expected. The best plan is to allow 
plenty of space for it to grow, treat it liberally by adding a small portion 
of manure to the roots annually in the autumn, which will assist it 
in making vigorous growths during the summer, and from these growths- 
the flowers will be produced the following season. All the pruning 
needed when the plant is either covering too much space or getting too 
thick of branches is to remove the most weakly, allowing space for 
the stronger to develope and ripen their growth more thoroughly. If a 
plant show signs of exhaustion, cut it hard in to the old wood, when 
it will break into new growth, and in this manner reinvigorate itself.—S'. 
- Tubeeous Begonias at Manchestee.—U nder the auspices 
of the Northern branch of the National Carnation and Picotee Society 
the annual Exhibition was held at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Old 
