April 18, 1889. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
317 
Lagurug ovatus, and Stipa pennata, the latter being perennial, the former 
six annualg. 
M ith these remarks I draw to a close, and hope what I have said 
may be of some little profit to my hearers, my only desire being to pro¬ 
mote the welfare of the class to which 1 belong, and from which I have 
no desire to withdraw. 
Events op the Week. —A meeting of the Linnean Society takes 
place to-day (Thursday). Tuesday, April 23rd, is fixed for the National 
Auricula Society’s Show (southern section), at the Drill Hall, West¬ 
minster, and there will be Committee meetings of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society. Sales of bulbs, plants,.and Orchids will take place at the 
rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & Morris and Mr. J. C. Stevens. 
- “ The Weather,” writes “ B. D.” from Perthshire, “ has con¬ 
tinued dull, drizzly, and cold till the 13th, when it brightened. The 
14th was a fine, mild, cheerful day with wind from the west. Sharp 
frosts occurred on the nights of the 13th and 14tli.” It has been much 
the same in London. 
- Paris Exhibition. —Among the names of the “ Committee of 
Patronage” of the International Horticultural Congress to be held at 
Paris this year in connection with the great Exhibition, and to take 
place concurrently with the Horticultural Show from the 16th to the 
21st of August, we note those of four British horticulturists in Mr. A. F. 
Barron, Dr. Hogg, Dr. Masters, and Mr. H. J. Veitch. We have had 
some inquiries about the Show, but particulars are not yet to hand. 
Any information desired could probably be had by communicating with 
M. Ernest Bergman, Society Nationale d’Horticulture de France, Rue de 
Grenelle, 84, Paris. 
- Dangerous Linseed Oil. —A gardener sends the following 
note :—“ I had a fine show of Mardchal Niel Roses, but had them spoiled. 
The hot-water pipes were painted with boiled linseed oil and vegetable 
black before the house was started, but the oil was not pure. Every 
leaf fell off the plants, and of course the flowers were worthless. But 
for this spurious oil there would have been 1200 blooms in the 
house.” 
- Sir Watkin Narcissus. —It has been said that what Lan¬ 
cashire thinks to-day England will think to-morrow. If the adage can 
be applied to matters coming within the limits of the circle of floricul¬ 
ture there ought to be a grand future for this splendid Narcissus, for 
we learn it is in great demand in Liverpool, Manchester, and other 
Lancashire towns. As a bold buttonhole and dress flower nothing can 
surpass it at this season ; the pose of the perianth exactly suits the pur¬ 
pose, and the balance of parts gives a grace to its form which makes it a 
distinct acquisition. 
-United Horticultural Benefit and Provident 
Society. —The quarterly meeting of this Society was held on the 8th 
inst. The chair was taken at 8 o’clock by Mr. E. Berry, and the usual 
business transacted. Three new members were elected, making a 
total of nineteen for the past three months. £11 has been paid to sick 
members during the quarter, but at the present time there is only one 
on the funds.—W. Collins, 9, Mart indale Road, Balliam, S. W. 
- Mr. John Davies desires us to state that he has been for 
nearly four years head gardener to Alfred 0. Walker, Esq., and is 
remaining in the service of Edward J. Walker, Esq., Leadworth House, 
Chester. 
-Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius.— In Mr. Wm. Baylor Hart- 
land’s private garden, Cork, this beautiful Australian shrub is suffi¬ 
ciently established to create seclusion for the song birds of Nature. At 
present a thrush has ventured to build her nest within its privacy, and 
by the time the broods are fledged they will have “ snow in summer ” 
as a blanket, together with the odour of new mown hay from the 
flowers, as the tree will be in full bloom in a month, and the flowers 
have the most exquisite perfume of the Vernal Grass of our meadows, 
particularly in the evening. 
- The phylloxera is once more agitating the minds of French 
horticulturists. Vines from what our neighbours call “ phylloxerated ’ 
districts are to be admitted to the Paris Exhibition, and the Vine 
growers in other localities view with alarm the grave danger of the 
dreaded scourge spreading to their own vineyards. M. Faye, the French 
Minister of Agriculture, has been appealed to on the subject, but he has 
declined to oppose the admission of the “phylloxerated” Vines, and 
has consequently been vigorously attacked by the Vine growers of 
Argenteuil. 
- Wakefield Paxton Society. —At the last Saturday night 
meeting of the members of this Society Mr. J. Nettleton of Hudders¬ 
field read a most interesting, instructive, and thoroughly practical 
paper on the culture of Tea Roses in pots. There was a grand display 
of “ the queen of flowers,” and the fine and sweet blooms were much 
admired. A good discussion followed the reading of the paper, chiefly 
with reference to the prevalence of canker and mildew amongst Roses. 
Mr. J. G. Brown (Stanley) proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Nettleton 
for his paper, and the motion was seconded by Mr. E. Fenner (Sandal), 
and supported by Mr. W. Daniels (Mirfield), Mr. Squire Pickersgill 
(Wakefield), and the Chairman, and very heartily carried. 
- Oaks of Malediction and Gospel Oaks, p. 276.—I do 
not think there is any connection between these trees. I have 
never met with an instance of a malediction being solemnly uttered, 
nor of an exorcism being pronounced, at a Gospel Oak in this country. 
It is well known that in England a Gospel Oak was one of the. 
stations in the boundary of a parish where the processionists when 
beating the bounds year by year at Rogation-tide were brought to a 
standstill. The Gospel was then read, said, or sung, and the Divine 
blessing invoked on all the adjacent crops just above ground—an im¬ 
pressive and religious ceremony, which a tithe commutation map in 
every parish has helped too effectually to sweep away.— Yaxley Vicar. 
- Hawkes’ Champagne Rhubarb.—O ur genial correspondent, 
“N. H. P.,” referred on page 270 to “little acts of graciousness ” by Mr. 
R. Gilbert of Burghley. This famous gardener has been graciously 
disposed to send us a sample of the above Rhubarb. We have seen 
perhaps 10 or 20 tons of Rhubarb in the London market during the past 
few days, but nothing to approach the bright coral red stalks, 18 inches 
long, from Burghley. They had, we are informed, been grown under 
an “ old mortar tub,” the sun doing the heating. That is a cheap way 
of obtaining Rhubarb in the best of condition before outdoor produce 
is ready for use. Both in appearance and quality the Burghley sample 
excelled, and the true Champagne is a variety worth growing for home 
use and market purposes. 
- Reading and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association.— The fortnightly meeting of this Association was 
held on Monday evening last ; Mr. W. Lees presided, and Mr. Richard 
Dean of Ealing gave an admirable lecture on the Florists’ Tulip. The 
lecturer having referred to the introduction of the Tulip to England 
about the year 1600, and the enormous sums of money paid for the 
bulbs, proceeded to describe the raising of Tulips from seed and their 
culture in beds, and referred to the splendid collections formerly seen 
in the south of England, and also to the Tulip shows held in the 
northern counties. The lecture was illustrated by coloured diagrams, 
which rendered it doubly interesting, and was much appreciated by the 
large number of members present. At the conclusion a hearty vote of 
thanks was accorded Mr. Dean for his able lecture. 
_ Auriculas at Slough. — A correspondent writes“ I 
am pleased to find that the Royal Nursery, Slough, still maintains its 
old reputation for Auriculas. A long span-roofed house, now full of 
these lovely hardy flowers, offers to admirers of Auriculas a temptation 
to,travel far to see the remarkable collection, in which lovely Alpines 
are not only the most abundant but by far the most attractive. In a 
merely floral aspect the thanks of all Auricula growers—indeed, all 
lovers of the beautiful in flowers—are due to the Messrs, turner for 
growing, and enabling the public to see, such a delightful show. The 
Alpines, with their broad and variously shaded grounds and golden or 
creamy centres, are indeed so wondrously attractive as to excite the 
warmest admiration. Of course many of the best plants should the 
weather, which has of late been so deterring, permit them to expand 
