176 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r February 27, 1800. 
table. On the motion of Mr. G. W. Fallas (one of the Hon. Secs.), 
seconded by Mr. Pitt, a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. 
Brown. 
- Too Successful a Prizewinner. —As your correspondents 
do not in my opinion give a satisfactory solution of the above problem, 
I venture to offer my opinion how this difficulty can be overcome. The 
Judges may be asked to give their opinion as to the four best exhibits 
in each class, and the Committee empower two of its number to follow 
the Judges and decide any first prizes secured above a given number. A 
special prize should be given to any first prize secured by the too success¬ 
ful prizetaker, and the following three should be awarded the first, 
second, and third. The funds must be considered. This is the work of 
the Committee, and can be adjusted according to the funds at disposal. 
1 question the wisdom of Mr. Thomson’s remarks on page 118. There 
would be no difference only in honour, and the exhibitors might as well 
say it is only a question of 5s. difference between us, and we might as 
well consider ourselves all equal and ask the lovers of horticulture to 
subscribe for a present all round. Like my friend Mr. Bates, the total 
at the end of the season would be more important to me than the 
honours, though we all like to be first. If the losing of first prizes is 
not sufficient to move the hinder ones they are not worthy of taking 
honours others are entitled to. If it is a question of rich and poor 
cottagers make separate classes.— G. A. Bishop. 
- Ketieement of a Successful Exhibitor.—T here are 
few, if any, better known gardeners in the west of England than Mr. 
G. Lock, Newcombe House, Crediton, Devon, and the news that owing 
to a great increase in his duties he contemplates retirement as far as the 
cultivation and exhibiting of specimen plants are concerned will be 
received with widespread regret. He has finally decided not to compete 
at any more shows, and there can be no mistake about this, as the prin¬ 
cipal portion of specimen plants are to be sold privately as fast as 
customers can be found for them. As a rule there are always men 
ready to take the place of those willing to make room for them, but it 
is very doubtful if Mr. Lock’s grand plants, of which I have seen as 
many as four large vanloads at one show, will not be badly missed for 
several seasons. Since hearing of Mr. Lock’s decision, and which was 
not altogether unexpected, I have ascertained from him a few facts that 
may be of general interest. He has competed at various shows, though 
principally at Taunton. Exeter, Southampton, Weston-super-Mare, Ply¬ 
mouth, Torquay, and Caine, during the past fifteen years, and has won 
no less than 616 prizes, out of which number there were 432 firsts. Of 
the latter sixty-three were for collections of stove and greenhouse plants, 
forty-nine for fine-foliaged plants, fifty for exotic Ferns, forty-three for 
groups arranged for effect, thirty-four for single specimen plants, thirty- 
seven for vegetables, and fifteen for Pine Apples. This will, I think, 
be considered a very good record for a private gardener, and represents 
an extraordinary amount of skilful culture, ability in packing and 
staging, and very hard work.—W. I. 
- Cultivating the Orchard.—A correspondent of the 
“American Cultivator” writes :—“The orchard is generally supposed to 
be a place to be utilised for several purposes. If farmers were satisfied 
to grow a single crop in the orchard, as they are in respect to cereals, 
there would be fewer complaints about the unprofitableness of fruit ; 
but they always seem desirous of procuring a crop of fruit and a crop 
of grain or grass from the land also. Now, as the land is no more 
capable of producing two good crops when used as an orchard than 
when occupied by other crops, there is no reason why an orchard which 
includes the land in one sense should be afflicted with more than it 
should produce. But as the space between the trees seems to be un¬ 
occupied, though really not so, the farmer is tempted to put in a crop of 
grass, grain, or vegetables, and wonders why the orchard is so unpro¬ 
ductive. The production of a large crop of fruit deprives the soil of a 
large quantity of mineral matter, especially potash, and although the 
trees themselves seem to occupy but a limited space, with their branches 
in the air, nevertheless the roots occupy every portion of the ground, 
and are at work upon every atom of available nutritious matter that 
can be taken from the soil. To add a crop of grass is but subjecting 
the land already heavily taxed by the trees to the production of two 
crops. The reason why some orchards flourish while standing in grass 
is because the demands of the trees and of that particular kind of 
grass are dissimilar, yet in the course of time one exhausts the soil of 
that which the other requires. Trees do not require stable manure 
unless it is well rotted, but an application of lime or wood ashes in the 
spring and fall, with the surface kept clean with a cultivator, will 
greatly improve the trees, and also the quality of the fruit. The plough 
should not be used by running too deeply, since it tears up and destroys 
the roots. All the orchard wants is occasional cultivation and a close 
pruning once a year. Another point to be observed is that of thinning 
the fruit from young trees when they are too heavy laden. If this is 
done that remaining will be of a better quality and finer in appearance. 
In nearly all cases where orchards fail the cause may be traced to 
mismanagement.” 
- The usual monthly meeting of the Royal Meteorological 
Society was held on Wednesday evening, the 19th inst., at the Insti¬ 
tution of Civil Engineers, 25, Great George Street, Westminster. Mr. 
0. B. Cuvilj^, Mr. W. Harpur, M.Inst.C.E.; and Mr. H. J. Spooner, 
F.G.S., were elected Fellovs of the Society. The following papers were 
read—viz., 1, " Observations on the Motion of Dust, as Illustrative of 
the Circulation of the Atmosphere, and of the Development of Certain 
Cloud Forms,” by the Hon. Ralph Abercromby, F.R.Met.Soc. The 
author has made numerous observations on the motion of dust in various 
parts of the world, especially on deserts on the west coast of South 
America. He finds that the wind sometimes blows dust into streaks or 
lines, which are analogous to fibrous or hairy cirrus clouds ; sometimes 
into transverse ridges and furrows, like solid waves, which are analogous 
to certain kinds of fleecy cirro-cumulus cloud ; sometimes into crescent¬ 
shaped heaps with their convex side to the wind, which are perhaps 
analogous to a rare cloud form called “ mackerel scales sometimes 
into whirlwinds, of at least two, if not of three varieties, all of which 
present some analogies to atmospheric cyclones ; sometimes into simple 
rising clouds, without any rotation, which are analogous to simple 
cumulus topped squalls ; and sometimes into forms intermediate between 
the whirlwind and simple rising cloud, some of which reproduce in a 
remarkable manner the combination of rounded, fiat, and hairy clouds 
that are built up over certain types of squalls and showers. Excessive 
heating of the soil alone does not generate whirlwinds, they require a 
certain amount of wind from other causes to be moving at the time. 
The general conclusion is that when the air is in more or less rapid 
motion from cyclonic or other causes, small eddies of various kinds 
form themselves, and that they develope the different sorts of gusts, 
showers, squalls, and whirlwinds. 2, “ Cloud Nomenclature,” by Capt. 
D. Wilson-Barker, F.R.Met.Soc. The author proposes a simple division 
of cloud forms under two heads—viz., cumulus and stratus, and recom¬ 
mends that a more elaborate and complete division should be made of these 
two types. A number of photographs of clouds were exhibited on the 
screen in support of this proposal. 3, “ An Optical Feature of the 
Lightning Flash,” by E. S. Bruce, M.A., F.R.Met.Soc. It has been 
stated in the report of the Thunderstorm Committee of the Royal 
Meteorological Society that there is not the slightest evidence in the 
photographs of lightning flashes of the angular zigzag or forked forms 
commonly seen in pictures. The author, however, believes that thit 
is an optical reality, as the clouds on which the projection of the flash 
is cast are often of the cumulus type, which afford an angular surface- 
In support of this theory he exhibited some lantern slides of lightning 
playing over clouds. 
Denbuobium Macfarlanei. 
This exceedingly distinct and beautiful Dendrobium was ex¬ 
hibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons at one of the recent meetings 
of the Royal Horticultural Society (January 14th, 1890) when a 
first-class certificate was awarded it by the Orchid Committee. 
It is thus described in “ The Manual of Orchidaceous Plants.” 
Stems erect, sub-cylindric, 5-8 inches high, usually di- rarely 
triphyllous. Leaves oblong, sub-acute, leathery, 3-4 or more 
inches long. Racemes ascending, 9-12 or more flowered. Flowers 
among the largest in the genus, 4-5 inches across ; sepals and 
petals white, the former lanceolate, the latter longer and broader, 
sub-rhomboidal, acuminate ; lip nearly as long as the petals, three- 
lobed, the side lobes basilar, oblong, white with a large purple spot 
at the anterior margin ; intermediate lobe cuueate-oblong, acute, 
white, purple at the base, as is the ligulate furrowed callus. 
Column white, bordered with purple on each side of the stigmatic 
cavity. 
