May 9, 18S9. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
377 
TOR April : —Mean temperature of month, 44'7°. Maximum on 
the 18th, 640° ; minimum on the 15th, 29‘9°. Maximum in the sun on 
the 20th, 118'6°; minimum on the grass on the 15th, 22 - 4°. Mean 
temperature of the air at 9 A.M., 4 5’6°. Mean temperature of soil 
1 foot deep, 44-7°. Nights below 32° in shade, two ; on grass, fifteen. 
Sunshine—total duration in month, ninety-one hours, or 22 per 
cent, of possible duration. We had eight sunless days. Total rainfall, 
2 - 50 inches. Rain fell on nineteen days. Average velocity of 
wind, 10'7 miles per hour ; velocity exceeded 400 miles on three days> 
and fell short of 100 miles on one day. Approximate averages for 
April:—Mean temperature, 4G'4° ; sunshine, 12G hours; rainfall, l'Gl 
inch. Dull, wet, and rather cold, though the nights were mild in conse¬ 
quence of the cloudy sky. 
- Through the kindness of Mr. R. Gilbert of Burghley I lately 
had an opportunity of testing Laxton’s A. F. Barron Strawberry, 
and was very much pleased with it.. Being a scarce variety at present, 
the plants at Burghley were small, only occupying 48-sized pots, and 
one could scarcely form an opinion of its cropping qualities from these 
by the side of older varieties, the strength of which in Burghley soil is 
extraordinary; but there were no indications of anything lacking in 
this respect in the variety in question. The appearance of the fruit was 
all that could be desired in a market Strawberry, the colour being 
especially bright with a very rich gloss. The texture of the fruit is 
firm, resembling Sir C. Napier in this respect, which is one of its 
parents. The flavour would be considered much superior to that 
valuable variety by most people, as the objectionable acidity is very 
much reduced, and A. F. Barron Strawberry will probably prove a 
great favourite among fruit growers.—W. H. Divers. 
- The closing meeting of the spring session of the Reading 
and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association 
was held last week. Mr. W. Lees occupied the chair, and Mr. T. E. 
Henwood read a paper on “ The Auricula.” Mr. Henwood, who has 
won considerable fame as a cultivator of this lovely flower, began by 
describing the raising of the Auricula from seed, the end of February 
being, in his opinion, the best time for this operation. The seed to be 
sown in well drained pots and covered with a sheet of glass, the soil 
most suitable for their culture being a mixture of fibrous loam and leaf 
soil, the latter not too much decayed, and sand, this being sufficient to 
keep the plants in the best health and vigour. They should never be 
coddled, but treated with common sense, and the cultivator would be 
richly rewarded. Mr. Henwood gave cultural directions for each month 
in the year, and exhibited a collection of Auriculas, leading varieties, 
which were admirable examples of cultivation. An interesting discus¬ 
sion followed, at the conclusion of which Mr. Henwood was heartily 
thanked for his able paper. 
- A Novel Flower Show. —A daily paper states that —“ Under 
Royal patronage, and at the immediate suggestion of Her Royal 
Highness the Princess of Wales, a rather singular flower show will 
be opened during the present art season at one of the minor picture 
galleries. The room in which the exhibition takes place will be hand¬ 
somely and artistically decorated by real flowers of every variety ; but 
the chief objects of interest will centre in a large collection of flower- 
pictures from the experienced brush of Miss Ada Bell, a young lady 
artist who has been devoted for some years to this department of art, 
and has been a regular contributor to the Royal Academy and Grosvenor 
Gallery. Her Royal Highness, who has purchased several of Miss Bell’s 
works, takes a deep interest in her progress. No day has, as yet, been 
fixed for the opening of this interesting show, but it will most probably 
take place on the Queen’s birthday, when it will be announced under 
the title of ‘ The World of Flowers.’ ” 
- Christmas Roses from Seed. —It may interest your readers 
to hear results as to raising Christmas Roses from seed. In July, 1887, 
I gathered a.large packet from all the numerous varieties, including 
Riverston, St. Brigid, Vernalis, &c. This was at once sown in timber 
boxes, scarcely covered, but merely pressed into the soil with slates that 
were perforated, and on which a couple of bricks were placed. Water 
was applied every week during dry weather. It soaked through the 
holes, and we did not disturb the arrangement until November. The 
seeds were then splitting and vegetating. Some fine soil was passed 
over them through a riddle, and the boxes removed to a cold greenhouse 
away from slugs and bad weather. In April, 1888, they were very 
strong. We had them planted out in well-prepared seed beds facing the 
east, and shaded from the afternoon sun. The consequence was that out 
of about 300 plants over one-third have flowered last winter, exhibiting 
great variety both in foliage and bloom ; and the same plants are at 
present carrying a “ full crop ” of seed pods, the latter to be gathered in 
July and sown. Many of the plants have become “clumps,” large 
enough to fill a G-inch pot. Is this the best and most satisfactory record 
extant ? I have read a great deal of old garden literature and find 
nothing like it. I shall be glad if any of your readers have a like 
experience. Lenten Roses sown at the same time have been similarly 
successful.—W. B. H., Cork. 
- At the May meeting of the Sheffield Floral and Horti¬ 
cultural Society, held on the 1st inst. in the Montgomery Hall, 
New Surrey Street, Mr. J. G. Newsham read a masterly and instructive 
paper on “ The Sportive Character of British Ferns.” Mr. J. W. Ellis 
presided. Mr. Newsham commenced his paper by defining the word 
“ sport ” as applied to Ferns, as conveying to the mind some natural 
variation from the normal ty pe which was not the result of spore pro¬ 
duction. He then alluded to the tendency of the British kinds to sport, 
and mentioned some of the forms they assume. He did not think that 
sporting was the result of cross-fertilisation. Every plant that grows 
is subject to various influences, and his impression was that the sportive 
character of Ferns was ruled to a considerable extent by these 
agencies. He said the larger numbers of sports were found upon the 
various strata and formation of stone. A short discussion followed, in 
the course of which Mr. Eadon, another enthusiastic Fern grower, 
referred to some beautiful Athyriums found wild as sports. He also 
referred to variation in bulbils, mentioning two Scolopen Iriunis 
exhibiting different characters, which were both raised from the same 
plant. He then alluded to the cross-fertilisation theory, which he once 
opposed, and announced his conversion to it, which he said was now an 
established fact in England. Some of the finest and most distinct 
characters had been produced in this way that nobody could mistake. 
For instance, spores of Polystichum aculeatum and P. Wakeleyanum 
were mixed together and sown, with the result that the cross was so 
distinct that the characters of both plants were equally well sustained. 
Mr. Eadon gave his definition of a sport as “ When a plant deviates 
from the original it is called a sport until it reproduces itself. When it 
reproduces itself it is then called a permanent variety.” Mr. Collier 
proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Newsham for his paper, which 
was supported by Messrs. Eadon, Batty and Holland. There was 
an excellent exhibition of cut blooms at this meeting and cultural 
certificates were awarded to stands of Chrysanthemums, white and 
yellow Roses, and Azaleas. 
-The Potato Plant and Some of Its Diseases was the 
subject of an interesting and instructive lecture delivered at the ordinary 
Saturday meeting of the members of the Paxton Society by Mr. J. D. 
Siddall of Chester. Mr. H. Oxley, the President, was in the chair, and 
Mr. B. Whiteley, one of the Vice-Presidents, in the vice-chair. There 
was a large attendance. Mr. Siddall has previously lectured at the 
Paxton Society and also at. the Mechanics’ Institution, and having on 
his former visits created a most favourable impression, his hearers anti¬ 
cipated another treat, and they were by no means disappointed. He 
spoke for about an hour in a pleasant chatty style, and the able manner 
in which he dealt with his subject convinced his audience that he had 
given very considerable attention to it, and may be regarded as an 
authority on this and kindred topics. He was listened to with the 
closest attention, and at intervals and on resuming his seat he was very 
warmly applauded. At the outset of his lecture he made a few observa¬ 
tions with reference to his previous appearance before the members of 
the Paxton Society, and remarked that as one of the outcomes of it they 
had succeeded in forming a Paxton Society in Chester. Mr. Siddall 
then proceeded to speak of the Tobacco plant, Potatoes, Mandrake, and 
other vegetable products belonging to the same species. He referred to 
the discovery of Tobacco, and spoke of its extensive cultivation and the 
vast sum which is paid to the revenue of this country as duty on Tobacco. 
He related some amusing incidents with regard to the superstitious 
notions about Mandrake, and then he entered fully into his subject, 
alluding to the introduction of the Potato into the United Kingdom, the 
vast extent of its growth, the ravages of disease, and some of the results 
of the great Potato famine in Ireland. Mr. W. L. Skinner of Silcoates 
Nursery, who some time ago gave an essay on the same question, opened 
a long and interesting discussion, which was continued by Messrs. 
T. Garnett, J. G. Brown, J. B. Manning, and others, and a variety of 
questions were put to and answered by Mr. Siddall. On the motion of 
Mr. B. Whiteley, seconded by Mr. J. G. Brown, and supported by Mr. 
Manning and the President, a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded 
to Mr. Siddall for his admirable lecture. 
