Marcli 20, U90. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
241 
- The Scottish Pansy Society’s Show is announced to 
be held in George Street, Edinburgh, on Friday, June 20th. The 
Secretary is Mr. McKennan, 144, Prince’s Street. 
- Tile South Oxfordshire Kews for March 1.5th contains a 
portrait of Mr. John Walker of Thame, with an account of his life 
and a description of his business. It is said that he commenced in 1846 
with “ 20 poles of ground and a two-light frame.” 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. Milner, for the last twelve 
years gardener at Sundorne Castle, succeeds Mr. Joseph Kinch as gar¬ 
dener to Miss Talbot, Penrice Castle, Swansea. Mr. Kinch went to 
Penrice from Margam recently and died suddenly. He leaves a widow 
and five children, one of whom we believe Mr. J. Muir contemplates 
nominating for election on the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
- The fourth Exhibition of the Scottish Primula and 
Auricula Society will be held in the City Assembly Booms, 
Shore Terrace, Dundee, on Thursday, May 8th, 1890. Twenty-four 
classes are provided in the schedule, with prizes from 2s. to 20s. 
Mr. John Morris of Dundee oSers 10s. “for the best named seedling 
(stage self) never before entered for competition.” The Hon. Sec. and 
Treasurer is Mr. William Straton, Annfield Droughty Ferry. 
- I READ with much interest Mr. Collier’s article on the 
Tuberous Begonia, page 180, but I think he is a little behind the 
times when he says that Begonia seed sown in January will give us a 
few flowers the first year. Perhaps he would be interested to know 
that we have sown Begonia seed in February, and the plants have fur¬ 
nished 7 and 8-inch pots by the beginning of September and continued 
to flower until the middle of November.—G. W., Henbury Hill, 
-Chrysanthemum Mrs. Carter.—^W e are pleased to find our 
illustration of this variety on page 446, November Ist, 1889, appreciated, 
and we recognise the fidelity of the reproduction of it as applied to 
Alice Carter and Mabel Carter in a catalogue of the firm by which the 
varieties were introduced, but we do not observe any mention of the 
original engraving in connection with the copies. This is the more 
noticeable since the source of another illustration of a variety that 
was not introduced by the firm is very properly recognised. 
- Narcissus Sporting. — Mr. James Walker of Whitton, 
Middlesex, who grows “ millions of Daffodils ” mainly for the London 
market, occasionally has sports among them. The last which he showed 
us was an example of two distinct varieties flowering from one bulb, 
namely. Sulphur Crown and Incomparabilis plenus, both forms being 
admirably represented. These varieties, also Orange Phoenix, Mr. Walker 
says, appear to be of the same origin, and flowers of any one of them 
may, and sometimes do, come from the same bulb. 
- The Original Hessle Pear Tree.—I have received a letter 
from Mr. Lord of Hessle, in which he refers to a matter which may be 
of general interest, and I therefore send you the following extract. 
“It may probably interest you to know that the first or original Hessle 
Pear tree is still standing in my landlord’s garden just behind my 
house. It is hollow and worn out with age, but still has a little life m 
it. Its age I cannot say for certain, but it has been stated to be con¬ 
siderably over 200 years, some say 300 years.” Our florists’ Tulips are 
looking well.—H. R. Mein, Kilso, 
- Bramley’s Seedling Apple. —I daresay many readers of 
the Journal will be inclined to think that the qualities of the above were 
overrated. I confess that until last September I was of that opinion. 
I then saw several trees in an orchard at Halloughton, near Southwell, 
that justified all that has been yet written in its favour, and I do not 
think it possible for anyone to overrate its qualities as I then saw it. 
1 have at different times and in different parts of the country occasion¬ 
ally seen trees bearing splendid crops of Apples, but I have never seen 
such immense crops, and at the same time such fine fruits, upon the 
same trees. If it were possible for me to accurately describe those trees 
as I saw them people would not believe my statement, and I feel confi¬ 
dent I should not have believed a similar statement regarding them. 
— J. U. 
- Carnations and the Sparrows.—M any plants which have 
been out all the winter have been attacked by the sparrows, and the 
centre leaves, and in many instances the heart of the plant, has been 
eaten away. A friend who is a well known amateur grower of Carna¬ 
tions and Picotees, had recently a day’s potting into the flowering pots, 
and the next morning he found that the birds had “ pegged away ” at 
his plants, and hard runing had resulted. He at once used lines of 
black thread, not glazed thread, on the plants as they were potted from 
day to day, and thus secured them from injury. Many persons will see 
that their plants are mutilated, and wonder what is the reason ; and 
Crocuses especially could be protected in this way.— Dianthus. 
- Forced Irises. —Anyone having overgrown clumps of Iris 
germanica in their herbaceous and shrubbery borders, and doubtless 
there are many such, may reduce them, and find them very useful for 
cut flowers. For the last few years I have found them force easily. 
This year some were taken from the borders the end of January, placed 
on the floor of vinery at work, with a little garden mould to cover the 
roots, and at the present time we are cutting the flowers. Some more 
crowns are also brought in now, and these will come on much more 
quickly than those dug up in January. If varieties are numerous a 
clump of each may be dug up at the same time ; it will give a succes¬ 
sion better, and when flowering is past the plants can be thrown on 
the rubbish heap unless wanted.— A Harding, Orton Hall Gardens., 
Peterborough. 
- Brussels Sprouts. —Your Leeds correspondent appears to 
have been fairly successful with this vegetable. I am expected to have 
Brussels Sprouts ready for the first dish of partridges in September, and 
my plan is to sow in August about the last day in that month out of 
doors. The plants remain in the seed bed till the first week in April, 
and are then planted 2 feet 6 inches each way. They are simply kept 
clean by having the hoe frequently run through the ground during the 
summer, and on the 1st of September we can always gather firm com¬ 
pact sprouts. The variety we grow is Sutton’s Exhibition. Another 
sowing is made the first week in April. From these we commence 
gathering the first week in November, and continue until March, when 
they begin to open. Still they furnish Greens up to the end of April, 
thus giving eight months’ supply. I am trying another plan for com¬ 
parison, and will record the result in due time.—H. F. E., Hampshire. 
- Blackberries. —A few weeks since fruiring Blackberries 
were a subject of remark in the Journal, and a copy of the number 
containing remarks by “ Rubus ” was sent to Mr. Laurence, at 
Harrisburg, U.S.A., and in a letter I have received from him he writes, 
“‘Rubus’ should see the American Blackberry grown the right way, 
and although you have some of the best American varieties in England 
they have not become popular. They need 6 feet apart bet *veen the 
rows, and 4 feet between the plants. The seeret of fruiting is in pinch¬ 
ing out the tops of the shoots when or 4 feet high ; then they throw 
out laterals, which should be pinched back to 10 or 12 inches, and 
good crops of fruit follow. They throw up canes like Raspberries- 
and the old ones are cleared out every year.” As many persons planted 
these kinds I hope that some may be induced to give the Blackberries a 
further trial on the plan recommended above.—D. S. H. 
- Summary op Meteorological Observations at Hod- 
sock Priory, Worksop, Notts, for February, 1890. — Mean 
temperature of month, 37-7° ; maximum on the 1st, 50 3° ; minimum on 
the 6th, 23-3° ; maximum in the sun on the 27th, 94-9° ; minimum on 
the grass on the 6th, 17‘2° ; mean temperature of the air at 9 A.M., 36'6° ; 
mean temperature of the soil at 1 foot deep, 38‘8° ; nights below 32°, in 
shade 11°, on grass 18°. Total duration of sunshine forty-six hours, or 
17 per cent, of possible duration. We had eleven sunless days. Total 
rainfall 0 99 inch ; rain fell on twelve days. Average velocity of wind, 
7-5 miles per hour ; did not exceed 400 miles on any day, and fell short 
of 100 miles on six days. Approximate averages for February—mean 
temperature, 40-2° ; sunshine, fifty-six hours ; rainfall, 1-63 inch. A 
cold dry month, only one really wet day. The temperature is over 4® 
lower than in January. We have now had cold and dry months of 
February for five consecutive years.— Joseph Mallender. 
- An Early Horse Chestnut. —The Paris correspondent of a 
London daily paper says, “ The famous Horse Chestnut tree in the Garden 
of the Tuileries, which is known far and wide as Le Marronnier du Vingt 
Mars, because, as tradition has it, its branches are always bedecked with 
tender leaves by that date, is acting its part to perfection this season. 
It must be confessed that this celebrated tree—which, at the approach 
of spring, is attentively scrutinised by numbers of eager Parisians on 
the look-out for some sign of verdure—now and then disappoints its 
admirers by failing to ‘ come up to time.’ This year, however, in spite 
of the intense cold which prevailed at the beginning of the month, it is 
well to the fore, being covered with buds which are bursting and shoot¬ 
ing in every direction. It has still four days for the completion of its 
toilette, and naturally the omen is regarded as propitious, for not long 
