312 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October in, 1889 
- We regret to have to record the death of two gardeners well 
known in the neighbourhood of London—namely, Mr. W. Hall, of 
Tulse Hill, and Mr. Fraser, formerly gardener to Mr. Measures at 
Streatham, and lately in charge of Mr. White’s collection of Orchids at 
Arddarrock House, Gourock, N.B. Mr. Hall was on a visit to Arrdar- 
rock on Saturday, September 28th, and went upon the yacht Osprey 
with Mr. Fraser, when a steamer leaving Kilmun for Gourock at eight 
o’clock came into collision with the yacht, causing it to sink instantly, 
Mr. Hall and Mr. Fraser, with another man, being drowned. Mr. Hall 
has been a successful exhibitor of Chrysanthemums, and has for many 
years been the esteemed Hon. Secretary of the Brixton Chrysanthemum 
Society, but of late years he has been chiefly engaged in the culture of 
Orchids. 
- Mr. ,1. Mallender sends the followiug Summary of Meteor¬ 
ological Observations at Hodsock Priory, Worksop, Notts., 
September, 1889 :—Mean temperature of month, 57-4°. Maximum on 
the 11th, 73 - 3° ; minimum on the 18th, 31 - 5°. Max. in sun on the 6th, 
125-5° ; min. on the grass on the 23rd, 24'0°. Mean temperature of air 
at 9 A.M., 55-4° ; mean temperature of soil 1 foot deep, 56-7°. Number of 
nights below 32°, in shade one, on grass six. Total duration of sunshine 
in month, 102 hours, or 27 per cent, of possible duration. We had four 
sunless days. Total rainfall, 1’43 inch. Kain fell on fifteen days. 
Average velocity of wind, 7-9 miles per hour. Velocity exceeded 400 
miles on two days, and fell short of 100 miles on four days. Approxi¬ 
mate averages for September:—Mean temperature, 55-8° ; rainfall, 
2-51 inches ; sunshine, 107 hours. A dry month except for one heavy fall; 
other conditions about the average. 
- Good Things for the Garden.— Being strongly of the 
opinion that good things cannot be too widely known, I am sure you 
will pardon my anxiety to bring before the notice of the readers of 
your Journal the excellent qualities of Sutton’s Little Gem Cabbage, 
which, if sown in April, will be fit to cut by the end of August or early 
in September. It is the earliest and most delicate flavoured Cabbage I 
know, and as a gardening friend of mine said the other day, you can 
suck it through a quill when cooked. Being small, as the name denotes, 
it can be planted 1 foot apart each way, thus giving as much produce 
from a given space as though planted with a larger kind, but with this 
great advantage, that the one is fit for a nobleman’s table, whilst the 
other is more useful for pigs. It is equally good for autumn sowing, 
and should be grown by all in search of a gem for the garden.— 
J. Hughes, Edgbaston, Birmingham. 
- I send you samples of the Carnations from plants struck 
last year, and which have given us quantities of blooms for at least 
three months. The one named Miss A. Porter was among others secured 
in a purchase of unbloomed seedlings from Mr. Turner, Slougb, by Mr. 
Porter of Kingsclere, which has established itself a general favourite. 
I should be glad of your opinion of it, and the description of its colour. 
Miss Porter’s name was given it by their gardener, Mr. Norris, it being 
her especial favourite. The blooms sent are less than half the size of 
the first blooms that expand. It is of free habit, and an abundant 
bloomer.—W. Strugnell. [The blooms received are excellent—large, 
bright, and pure in colour. Miss A. Porter is a capital variety of a deep 
salmon-pink colour, very clear and good. Gipsy is dark maroon ; Colonel 
Cox a rich scarlet; and Mrs. Oldacre a soft, rosy tint, with a purplish 
hue. All are good.] 
Fruit Trees and Caterpillars. —The season is now at hand 
when we are reminded to take precautions to prevent the ravages of the 
looper caterpillar tribe, but in too many cases I fear the remedies used 
were failures. They certainly were in our case, applied at the latter end 
of October, 1888. The proposed remedies we tried were bands of sacking 
and Hessian smeared with grease, tar, and carbolic acid, with the result 
that the caterpillars were as numerous as ever. One thing seems peculiar 
about the present season, and that is, that fruit such as Apples and 
Pears is more abundant, and the trees much healthier, in close proximity 
to large towns. I noticed it first in and near Reading. One lady re¬ 
marked that they had more fruit than they had for years past. Of 
course more fruit meant less caterpillars, and on the occasion of the recent 
Vegetable Conference I noticed the same in the R.E.S. Gardens at 
Chiswick. The leaves on the Pear and Apple trees showed no sign of 
the ravages of the caterpillars, and there was a fair crop of fruit; and 
I noticed the same whole-leaved and healthy appearance in Pear and 
Apple trees at Brentford and Isleworth. Now, the question is, What 
was the cause of the immunity of these suburban districts from the 
attacks of caterpillars, and consequently in many cases a fair crop of 
fruit’—R. Maher, Yattenden Court, Newbury. 
- We regret to announce the death, at Manila, on July 28th last, 
of Senor Don Sebastian Vidal, Inspector-General of the Philippine 
Island Forests and Director of the Manila Botanic Garden. He held 
the post for a considerable period, and was the author of numerous 
important works on Philippine botany. He paid two visits to this 
country in his official capacity ; a first of two months’ duration in the 
autumn of 1877, and a second of four months’ in 1883-84. Both 
periods were spent at Kew in working up the Philippine flora ; and he 
deposited in the Herbarium a set of no less than 4062 specimens for 
future reference. His published works are “ Catalogo metodico de la 
Plantas Lenosas observadas en la Provincio de Manila,” 1880 ; “ Resena 
de la Flora del Archipiffiago Filipino,” 1883 ; “ Sinopsis de Familias y 
Generos de Plantas Lenosas de Filipinas,” 1883, with an atlas of 100 
folio lithographed plates ; “ Phanerogam® Cumingian® Philippinarum,” 
1885 ; and “ Revision de Plantas Vasculares Filipinas,” 1886. The two 
latter were the result of his last visit to Kew, and he was assisted in 
their preparation by Mr. R. A. Rolfe of that establishment. Senor 
Vidal was the first to investigate the Philippine flora since the time of 
Blanco (when geographical botany as a science was practically non¬ 
existent), and we owe to him, not merely a widely extended knowledge 
of its constitution, but also the establishment of the fact that the 
Philippine flora, though substantially Malayan in character, yet presents 
a number of very important peculiarities.— (Nature, October 3rd .) 
- The Weather in September. —From September the 3rd to 
the 19th the weather was fine and bright, and good harvest weather. 
The remainder of the month was changeable, but mostly dull and wet. 
The frost on the 18th was the first severe one of the season, and injured 
many of the tender plants but did not kill any of them. Harvest 
finished in this neighbourhood on September 21st. The wind was north¬ 
ward twenty-one days during the month. Rain fell on twelve days ( 
the greatest daily fall being 1’09 inch on the 23rd, and the total rain¬ 
fall for the month being 2-28 inches. The barometer was very variable, 
the highest reading 30'49° on 16th at 9 A.M. ; the lowest, 29'55° on 24th 
at noon. The temperature varied much during the month ; the highest 
in the shade was 79° on the 11th, and the lowest 31° on the 8th ; 
the lowest on the grass 27° on the 18th. A garden spring was running 
twenty gallons per minute on the 30th. Dahlias, Heliotrope, and other 
tender plants were in full flower on September 30th.—W. H. Divers, 
Ketton Hall, Stamford. 
- Diseased Peas. —I have not noticed any response to Mr. 
Pownall’s appeal for information as to Peas becoming diseased (see 
page 195, September 5th), but probably the following may assist him. 
When I first took charge of these gardens the Peas were affected in the 
manner described by him. and were of no use whatever. I attributed 
it to heavy dressings of leaf soil, and this not of a good description, as 
it had laid in heaps closely together in pits in the vineries. The old 
refuse heaps described by Mr. Pownall would be something similar. 
After discontinuing it in the kitchen garden the disease disappeared. I 
think it is much the best system to burn or “ smother ” all vegetable 
refuse, as in this state it is better for the crops. The present has been a 
wonderful Pea season with us, and indeed for all other kitchen garden 
crops. A dressing of lime I should say would certainly benefit the Pea 
ground, as well as a dressing of very fine bone-flour forked in previous 
to sowing the seed. We apply manure rather heavily for Brussels 
Sprouts, summer and autumn Cauliflowers, and the following season 
Peas follow without manuring.—A. Young, Abberley. 
-Birmingham Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Associa¬ 
tion. —The first meeting of the autumn session of this Society was held 
on Tuesday evening, October 1st. The President, Sir Thomas Martineau, 
occupied the chair. A large number of members were present, includ¬ 
ing Professor Hillhouse, the Rev. J. A. Williams, Mr. Latham, Councillor 
E. Butler, Wednesbury, &c. The President spoke of the very great 
pleasure it gave him to be present on that occasion, and congratulated 
the members upon the very great progress that had been made during 
the year. Particularly gratifying was it to note that many valuable 
books had been ladded to the library, which was freely used by the 
members, the average attendance during the year being ninety, which 
he considered most satisfactory. Altogether he felt that he had every 
reason to be proud of the little cutting he had assisted to put in during 
the time of his Mayoralty, little more than three years ago, seeing how 
quickly it had made roots, thrown out its branches, and thoroughly 
established itself among the educational institution of the city. The 
President then briefly introduced Mr. J. Wright, who attended 
by invitation to read his paper on “ The Social, Intellectual, 
and Professional Position of Gardeners.” The paper was pregnant 
