January 16, 1890. ]J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
45 
white tinted flesh, are the sweetest of the Ayrshire Eoses, and none 
other by scent in climbing Eoses have attracted.— Utilitabian. 
CANKER IN FRUIT TREES. 
I OWE some apologies of long standing to Mr. A. Young and others 
who favoured me with specimens of Apple tree wood some time ago for 
inspection, and a request to reply to through the Journal. I did not 
consider Mr. Young’s specimens were canker wounds, but in two cases 
out of three there appeared to have been bits of bark taken off by some 
animal, probably a rabbit. 
Another case was a piece of Apple tree wood, the centre of which 
was eaten away by a grub. This was quite a new enemy to me I am 
pleased to say, and was in no way connected with canker. 
While on the subject I beg to acknowledge the pleasure it gave me 
to read “ W.’s ” last references to this subject, and also how much I 
enjoyed in fancy the rambles from one lovely spot to another in our 
county, all of which I have had the pleasure of visiting within the past 
few years. When Mr. Tonks held me up to readers as a model of 
ignorance by not knowing thrips I did not think it worth while to reply, 
but I may now state that thrips are, unfortunately, as familiar to me as 
earwigs or woodlice, and about as likely to be mistaken by me. It 
would be quite as near the truth to say I could not tell his little fat 
roasters (which we put out of his garden) from ferrets, a greyhound 
from a mastiff, or a jackdaw from a swallow. - J. Hiam. 
Events of the Week. —The Eoyal Society has a meeting at Bur¬ 
lington House to-day (Thursday) at 4.30 P.M., and the Linnean Society 
at 8 P.M. Messrs. Protheroe & Morris have a sale of Orchids at their 
Cheapside Eooms on Friday, January 17th. The Eoyal Geographical 
Society meets on Monday, January 20th, at 8.30 p.m., and the Society of 
Arts on Wednesday, at 8 p.m. 
- At a general meeting of the Eoyal Hoeticultxjkal 
Society, held January 14th, Mr. James Douglas in the chair, the 
following ladies and gentlemen were elected Fellows of the Society— 
viz., Viscountess Wolseley, Eev. A. B. Alexander, 0. Pennell, J. E. 
Brown (Australia), T. E. Butler, D. Campbell Brown, T. H. E. 
Compton, J. Cooper, De B. Crawshay, Mrs. Morland Crofield, Mrs. 
Cur^wood, A. Dean, S. H. Dean, J. T. Diamond, J. T. Gabriel, Eev. 
Geo. E. Gardiner, F. T. Good, Mrs. Grinling, Mrs. Grove, E. A. 
Hambro’, J. Henderson, W. H. Hudson, C. Jeffries, J. W. Justen, 
H. H. Kneeling, H. J. Kershaw, John Laing, W. B. Latham, T. 
Laxton, Miss Agnes Mellish, Arnold Moss, E. E. B. Orlebar, W. 
Owen, Eev. F. Page Roberts, W. W. Palmer, F. A. Philbrick, Q.C., 
F. W. Prior, Hugh Pye (Australia), J. Eawlins, W. M. Eose, Miss 
Eotch, Geo. Steel, A. J. Veitch, J. C. Wakefield, H. Wallis, A. C. 
Wheeler ; as Associate, John Slack. 
- The weather in the south of England still continues most 
variable, rain and cold -winds alternating with bright warm days. 
Sunday, January 12th, was quite exceptional, however, the sun shining 
brilliantly from an unclouded sky the whole day, followed by a clear 
starlight night, but no frost. A daily paper says, “ Seldom at so early a 
period of the year have the parks presented so animated a spectacle as 
they did yesterday. Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens were crowded, 
as well they might be, considering the spring-like balminess of the 
atmosphere and the delightful sunshine. Sitting out in the open air 
was, during some portions of the day, quite a pleasant and almost a safe 
thing to attempt, and cumbersome greatcoats were very generally 
discarded. Parks have become not merely agreeable luxuries but 
absolute necessities to city life, and the local administrator who econo¬ 
mises in this item of expenditure does so at the cost of the health and 
happiness of the people.” Monday was damp, dull, and cold, but two 
such days as that preceding it could not be expected together at this 
time of year. 
-The Weather in the North. —The days have, with almost 
regular alternation, for some time been fine and wet. Very high winds 
with pelting rain have occus-red on many nights lately. Only twice 
for the last fourteen days had the thermometer fallen to freezing point, 
6° of frost being registered for a short time on the night of the 2ad inst. 
—B. D. 
■-At a Committee meeting of the United Hortictjltural 
Benefit and Provident Society, held at the Caledonian Hotel on 
Monday last, Mr. E. Scott in the chair, five new members were pro¬ 
posed from Cardiff, Halifax, Battle, Sussex, Eoehampton, and County 
Cork. Messrs. A. J. Green and Geo. Dixon were appointed Auditors, 
and it was unanimously resolved to ask Mr. J. Wright to take the chair 
at the annual general meeting, which will be held at the same hotel on 
February 10th at 8 p.m. 
- Prevention better than Cure.—N ow the influenza is so 
prevalent the following note may be of interest. All the greatest 
authorities advise the taking of quinine twice a day as a precautionary 
measure. As this epidemic is spreading so rapidly in all directions 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons of Reading lost no time in adopting this suggestion 
They at once ordered between 500 and 600 doses of quinine to be 
delivered daily for gratuitous distribution amongst their large number 
of employes. This action has been gratefully appreciated by their 
hands, and has had a most successful result. 
- The polloy/ing Bulbs, Plants, and Shrubs are no-w in 
FLO-WER OUT OP DOORS AT Blackrock, CORK :—Narcissus pallidus 
prmcox, Tazettas Scilly and Paper White ; Snowdrops, all sorts ; 
Hepaticas, double red ; Triteleia uniflora ; Lenten and Christmas Eoses 
in endless variety, particularly the Lenten Roses from Mr. Archer 
Hind’s collection. There are all sorts of Primroses, double and single, 
Aubrietia grieca, Gentiana acaulis, Violas of sorts. Iris stylosa, 
Schizostylis coccinea. Emperor Stocks, and Wallflowers. The beautiful 
Prunus Pissardi is becoming full of buds, Mahonias are in flower, 
Pyrus Maulei and Azara microphylla are crowded with bloom. The 
Daffodils are very promising. We shall be having 100,000 blooms of 
Ard-Eigh in one month from date all in the open air.— Wm. Baylor 
Hartland. 
- Eoyal Botanic Society of London.—A meeting of this 
Society was held on Saturday, January 11th, Dr. E. C. A. Prior, 
F.L.S., in the chair. Among the donations presented to the museum 
was a specimen of the Double Cocoa Nut or Coco de Mer, now 
known to come from the Seychelles, a small group of islands in the 
tropics. For some hundreds of years these nuts have been occasionally 
found washed up by the sea, where their extraordinary appearance, 
large size, and mysterious origin gave rise to many stories of mi- 
raeulous virtues in the cure of diseases, some are even said to have been 
sold for their weight in gold. This specimen had belonged to General 
Gordon, and was given by him to General Gerald Graham, by whom it 
was presented to the Society. 
- Floral Decorations at the Council House, Birming¬ 
ham. —The present Mayor of the city, Mr. Councillor Clayton, gave 
two balls on an extensive scale recently, one on the Wednesday, Jan. 8th, 
for his friends, the next on the following evening, a fancy ball for 
children. Mr. W. Spinks, Manager of Messrs. Hewitt’s nurseries, 
supplied all the floral decorations, and certainly the finest display ever 
seen in Birmingham, and that is saying a great deal. Artistie arrange¬ 
ments, and an unlimited supply of specimen Palms, and a host of 
Poinsettias, Euphorbias, Riohardias, Hyacinths, Tulips, Lily of the 
Valley, and so many other plants were everywhere, and the Council 
House is a very extensive place, well suited to floral decorations. 
A splendid ice cavern was fitted up, occupying a spacious room, and 
under the electric light v/as an object of especial admiration. In the 
reception room, fitted up with oriental splendour, a group of Orchids 
and Adiantum farleyense was a prominent feature, as wmll as two 
groups of Calanthe Veitchi and Ferns. A large basket of Narcissus 
blooms was presented by Mr. Spinks to the Mayoress. 
_ Buttons’ Triumph Melon. —Now that this Melon is for the 
first time placed in the hands of the public I thought a little of its 
history might not be out of place in the Journal. It is the result of a 
cross between Scarlet Premier and Eastnor Castle Green-flesh, and is of 
superior flavour. I h.ave found it a free serter, and to succeed well in 
frames with little or no artificial heat. It obtained a first-class certifi¬ 
cate at the Crystal Palace, and the first prize at the Chiswick Summer 
Show two years in succession, and various other prizes. I have found it 
excellent for pot culture, but my practice has been chiefly to grow 
the plants on the restricted system in frames—viz., three plants to a 
light, and from two to three fruits on each plant. For the last two 
seasons, however, I have been unfortunate enough to be troubled with a 
bad case of clubbing in the Melons, so that the variety has not really 
had a good and fair trial with me. With others I hope the good qualities 
of this Melon will be developed.—W. Palmer, Tliamcs Ditton. 
