458 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jane 6, 1869. 
them right.” On the whole we have good reasons to anticipate a fairly 
good fruit year.—W. Iggulden, Frome. 
Events of the Week. —The Bath and West of England Society’s 
meeting, announced last week, remains open until June 10th. To-day 
(Thursday, June 6th) there is a meeting of the Linnean Society. On 
Friday there will be a lecture at the Royal Botanic Society, and on the 
same date the Manchester Royal Botanic Society’s Show will commence) 
remaining open till the 11th inst. Committee meetings of the Royal 
Horticultural Society will be held on the 11th inst. at the Drill Halb 
Westminster, and there will be a lecture at 3 p.h. 
- The Weather. —No rain worth mentioning has fallen in 
London since our last issue, but enjoyable summer weather has pre¬ 
vailed. Nor has the heat, as a rule, been oppressive, for although the 
sun has been powerful, a refreshing breeze has been experienced, except 
on one or two days. 
- The Gaedeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. —We 
remind our readers that the Jubilee Festival Dinner of this valuable 
institution will be held at the Albion Hotel, Aldersgate Street, on 
Thursday evening, June 13th, Leopold de Rothschild, Esq., presiding on 
the occasion. 
- Professor Reichenbach’s Peculiar Will.—A lthough 
Dr. Reichenbach was indebted to contributors from various parts of the 
world, and especially, perhaps from England, for the materials that 
made him famous as an orchidist, he has directed that his specimens 
and drawings shall be preserved in sealed cases for twenty-five years to 
save them from destruction during the present “ craze for Orchids.” 
Most persons who speak what they think will characterise the act either 
as a crazy or a selfish stipulation. We have the satisfaction of knowing 
that none of the sealed-up treasures are of our sending. Kew ought to 
be the central authority on Orchids in this kingdom, and doubtless 
will be. 
-The Flora Fete of the Great Yorkshire Gala (thirty-first 
year) will be held at York on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of June. 
-The twentieth annual Summer Show of the Twickenham 
Horticultural and Cottage Garden Society is fixed for Monday, July 
3rd, and will be held in the grounds of Poulett Lodge. The schedule is 
of the usual comprehensive character, and the Secretary is Mr. J. J. G. 
Pugh, 2, Heath Road, Twickenham, 
- Strawberry Noble. —This variety appears to have done re¬ 
markably well with Mr. Barham, Croxteth Hall, this year in pots, and 
he speaks in the highest terms of it. It would be interesting if others 
who have grown it would state their opinions of it for this purpose. Is 
it good for early or second early forcing? Any particulars would be 
welcome to many readers.—L. D. W. 
- Strawberry Noble. —Last year this did so well as a mid¬ 
season forcing variety that we this year tried it as a second early along 
with Sir Joseph Paxton. The plants were not very strong, as usually 
happens when a stock of a rather scarce variety is being worked up. 
Notwithstanding the plants threw up strong trusses of bloom, which 
set well, and the fruits swelled remarkably evenly, every berry being of 
good shape and large size, with good colour and gloss. The individual 
plants carried about a pound of fruit in about a dozen examples. We 
wished for as many hundreds as we had, unfortunately, only dozens 
of plants.— Utilitarian. 
-The following Gardening Appointment has been made. 
Mr. W. Lees, late foreman at Park Place, Henley-on-Thames, has been 
appointed head gardener to the Duchess of Montrose at Sefton Lodge, 
Newmarket. 
-Garden Allotments.— Mr. Wright’s paper on “Garden 
Allotments,” which I am glad to see is not yet concluded, seems to me 
quite one of the best things of the sort I ever read. I sincerely hope it 
will be published in cheap pamphlet form, in which case I will under¬ 
take that every allotment holder in my village shall have a copy._ 
W. R. Raillem. 
-The Mansfield Horticultural Society will hold their 
fourteenth annual Exhibition on Monday, August 5th. There are 
numerous prizes for cottagers and amateurs as well as gentlemen’s 
gardeners and nurserymen. Mr. S. Turner, Mansfield, is the Secretary. 
- Reading Show. —We are informed that a series of premiums 
were granted by Messrs. Sutton & Sons to the leading prizewinners in 
several classes at the above Show last week as a recognition of meri¬ 
torious work in cultivation. No intimation whatever was given to us 
of the date of the Show, hence the absence of a report of it in these 
columns. 
- Seeing your note on a Proliferous Broccoli reminds me 
that I have several plants of Veitch’s Extra Early and Early London 
Cauliflower showing three stems growing from the main one, with the 
promise of four Cauliflower heads in place of the usual one. Is it 
unusual ?—S. 
- The Kent Fruit Orchards.—A correspondent writes 
“ Until the past few days there seemed every prospect of an exception¬ 
ally heavy crop of all sorts of fruit, but heavy hailstorms during the 
last day or two have utterly demolished many orchards of fruit and 
blossom. Still, those gardens that have escaped the hail will be full of 
fruit, Cherries and Strawberries being in great abundance. The latter 
are very far advanced.” 
-The Weather and Crops in Yorkshire.—M r. A. J. 
Brown writes from Wensleydale :—“ The weather here has been ex¬ 
ceptionally fine. Last week for several days the temperature reached 
80°, and at nine o’clock in the evening at 60°. Everything seems to 
make rapid progress, as we also had some splendid showers. I am told 
by some of the oldest inhabitants that they have not had such a spring 
here for many years. There seems to be every prospect of a good fruit 
season.” 
- Rainfall and Temperature in Sussex.— Mr. R. Inglis 
writes :—“ The rainfall at Cuckfield, Mid-Sussex, for May was 
1-45 inch, being 0 56 inch under the average of the district. The 
heaviest fall was 0 - 45 inch on the 27th. Rain fell on fifteen days. 
The highest temperature was 92° on the 23rd, the lowest, 40° on 1st, 
3rd, and 19th. Mean day temperature, 76’1° ; mean night ditto, 47’1°. 
Mean temperature, 61'6°, being 6-7° above the average of seven years, 
and just equal to the average temperature of June.” 
- Double Poet’s Narcissus.— Mr. W. B. Hartland writes 
“ I never had the true large flowering Gardenia-flowered sort in such 
perfection as this year. I send blooms for your observation. Verily 
Ireland can grow Narcissi well. I have been cutting from the different 
sections since the 16th of January, and we are now raising the bulbs 
of Ard Righ for exportation to America. There are two varieties of 
double Poet’s Narcissus.” [Very fine indeed are the blooms, 3j inches 
in diameter on stems nearly 18 inches in length.] 
- Onions Failing.— “J. E.” writes:—“I have been very un" 
lucky with my spring Onions this year, and should like to know if any 
of your correspondents have been the same. I sowed 6 ozs, of three 
different varieties on March 26th, and did not get six Onions out of the 
lot, although Leeks and silver-skinned Onions sown about the same time 
came up well, every seed, I should think, germinating. I do not like to 
say the seed was bad, as I obtained it from one of the best nurseries. I 
sowed over again about a fortnight since, but can see no sign of 
Onions appearing.” 
- Cleansing Bottles. —Having in view the approaching fruit 
season, a correspondent sends us the following :—The easiest manner of 
cleaning oily or greasy bottles is to pour into them a little strong 
sulphuric acid after they have been allowed to drain as much as 
possible. The bottle is then corked and the acid caused to flow into 
every portion of it for about five minutes or so. It is then washed with 
repeated rinsings of cold water. All traces of oil or grease will thus be 
removed in a very expeditious manner, and no odour whatever will be 
left in the bottle after washing. 
- Myosotises. —“ S. L.” writes “ Will ‘ J. K. W., Leicester ,’ 
kindly tell me if the Myosotis E. alpestris he speaks of on page 254 of 
the Journal for March 28th as being hardier than M. dissitiflora, is 
identical with M. alpestris elegantissima of the supplement to the new 
‘ Dictionary of Plants ? ’ Also where I could procure a packet of seed, 
true, as I have not seen it advertised in any seed lists ? However good 
the plants of M. dissitiflora when planted in autumn, they seem to 
damp off during the winter, although all leaves blown on the beds are 
