464 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jane 5,1890 
force into use objectionable names, for the resistance of so-called 
authorities is of a purely passive and personal kind, and a little perse¬ 
verance will overcome all obstacles, however philosophical, reasonable, 
or pedantic they may he. A revising board would need to be in corre¬ 
spondence with all botanical and perhaps with some horticultural 
societies, not only of Europe and America, but of the world. I do not 
see anywhere an indication of the spirit that would be calculated to 
initiate such a movement, and yet, were certain common sense principles 
agreed upon for a basis of operations, an immensity of good work might 
be accomplished with but a shadow of the effort that appears to he 
inevitable so long as we consider the matter in the abstract only. Let 
us take the Bromeliaceous plants for an example. The late Professor 
Edward Morren has left for the appropriation of such a board a 
systematic revision and all the materials for a rectification of nomen¬ 
clature. One example is as good as fifty. Specialists will be found to 
differ in their methods of operation, in their views on classification and 
nomenclature, but as a rule they may be relied upon for minute 
knowledge of facts, and the business of a revising board would be to 
turn their labours to account in aid of a distinctly formulated system ; 
the board would have to harmonise rather than invent; and it would 
have to parcel out the work and keep control in view of fundamental 
principles. 
I am fully persuaded that botany and horticulture are seriously pre¬ 
judiced by the ambiguous, variable, unpleasant, and ridiculous fashions 
that prevail in the naming of plants. When the name of a plant causes 
a curling of the lip or a smile of surprise, that grave men who are 
philosophers sometimes can designate beautiful objects by ugly terms, 
those beautiful objects are depreciated by the contempt their names 
inspire. There is enough lead in the bowels of the earth to keep it 
steady on its axis ; and it is a waste of energy to clothe the flowers of 
the field with cumbrous loads of botanical stupidity. If this sort of 
thing goes on this poor old planet will become top heavy and will reel 
from its proper orbit into some abyss amid gorgons dire where the 
pursuit of botany will be impossible. 
Included. They were showing a collection of Ivy and Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums and Tuberous Begonias, which formed a centre of interest in 
one of the arcades. A large silver medal was awarded by the jurors. 
- The weather in the metropolitan district has not 
been so disastrous as some of our correspondents describe, still the cold 
winds at night have not been favourable to tender plants and early 
vegetables, and though occasional showers have fallen more rain is still 
required in some districts. Strawberries are flowering strongly and 
freely. In Sussex frost has blackened the Potatoes. 
- The Weather in the North. — May 2Gth-June 2nd. 
The week throughout, and especially the latter half, has been cold, ihe 
last two or three evenings markedly so. Snow has fallen on some of 
our highest hills, and heavy showers of hail here and there. A change 
seems to have taken place. Bloom on the Holly, which is reported 
scarce in some districts in the south, is abundant here. The Hawthorn 
is now in surprisingly rich flower.—B. D. 
- The Weather and Frost.—O n the morning of the 31st 
Jlay we had 8° of frost, which has made sad havoc with vegetation 
here. Potatoes just coming into bloom are quite black ; French Beans> 
G inches high, and Scarlet Runners, 9 inches, are levelled to the ground ; 
Peas, which I expected to pick in about a week or ten days, parboiled, 
and Gooseberries also where exposed ; so are Cherries on standards 
black. I had just finished planting in the flower garden, and there even 
Pelargonium Vesuvius leaves are shrivelled. Lobelia leaves black, and 
Heliotrope of course is almost killed. The young leaves and shoots of 
Laurel, Ash, Beech, and Ivy quite black. I also notice the Apple 
blossom, which was very fine and most abundant, is much damaged. 
The Strawberry blossom I think has suffered worst of all, and a finer 
show of bloom, finely developed, was never seen here before, have all 
“ black eyes.” It is most disheartening, and everything was so promis¬ 
ing ; but I suppose we must “ grin and bear it.”—A. V. Temple, 
Leeds, 
- The frost on Friday night was very severe in the valleys ; 
Potatoes and Kidney Beans much damaged. The young shoots of Oak 
are as black and dry as black tea. Nut shoots I also notice are killed 
and dried up.—J. H., Astwood, Banlt,. 
Events of the Week. —The Royal Horticultural Society’s Fruit, 
Floral, and Orchid Committees will meet in the Drill Hall, James 
Street, Victoria Street, on Tuesday, June 10th, at 12 noon. At this 
meeting a silver challenge cup will be offered for competition amongst 
amateurs who exhibit the best collection of herbaceous Pseonies. The 
second summer Show of the Royal Botanic Society will be held on 
Wednesday, June 11th, in the Regent’s Park Gardens. The usual monthly 
dinner and conversazione of the Horticultural Club will take place 
at the Hotel Windsor on Tuesday, June 10th, at G p.m. The 
subject for discussion will be “Early Strawberries,” to be opened by 
Mr. George Bunyard. The Essex Field Club will hold a meeting at 
Walton-on-Naze, in conjunction with the Geologists’ Association, on 
Saturday, June 7th, William Whitaker, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S., acting as 
director. The train will leave Liverpool Street station at 10 A.M,, 
arriving at Walton at 12.IG p.m. 
- We learn that Professor Oliver, who has for many years 
held an important position as keeper of the Herbarium at Kew, has 
resigned his office. Mr. W. Carruthers has also resigned the presidency 
of the Linnean Society, and Professor Stewart has been proposed for 
that post. 
- Civil Service Pensions. —The Queen has been pleased to 
approve of the grant of Civil List pensions to Miss Charlotte, Ruth, 
Margaret, and Rose, daughters of the late M. J. Berkeley, F.R.S. A Civil 
List pension has also been granted to Mrs. Wood, widow of the Rev. J. G. 
Wood, the well-known popular writer on natural history. 
-— Dr. James Clark, M.A. (Edin.), Ph.D. (Tiibingen), Royal 
Exhibitioner and Associate in Botany, Prizeman in Geology (Edinburgh 
University), has been appointed Professor of Natural History in the 
College of Agriculture, Downton, Salisbury. Dr. Clark has recently 
been employed on important work in the Natural History Department 
of the British Museum, and is the author of several papers on geology 
and biology.— {Nature.') 
-Amongst the exhibitors at the Paris Horticulthral Exhi¬ 
bition, of which a few notes were published in last week’s Journal, 
the name of Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, should have been 
- Tender crops growing in gardens in low, damp, or exposed 
situations must have been considerably damaged by the severe frost of 
Saturday morning. May 31st. Here Potatoes, Runner Beans, and 
Vegetable Marrows presented a sorry sight. Dwarf Beans on a south 
border sheltered by a high wall not escaping.—R. M., 3IomioutlisMre. 
-The National Co-operative Flower Show has again 
been arranged to be held at the Crystal Palace. The date fixed is 
Saturday, August IGth. Last year the Show attained colossal 
dimensions, filling the great nave of the Crystal Palace from end to 
end. The number of exhibits were over 4000, and visitors exceeded 
32,000. This year the Agricultural and Horticultural Association of 
London contributes nearly £200 in prizes, and the Crystal Palace 
Company £130. It is expected that special prizes will also be offered 
by numerous London and Provincial Co-operative Societies, as was 
done last year. The schedule just issued is a fifty-two page pamphlet. 
It embraces offers of 825 money prizes, besides silver and bronze 
medals, and—for the first time—a champion gold medal. One new 
feature is the d-ivision of exhibitors into geographical districts. For 
the more important prizes the country is mapped out into five districts, 
so that exhibitors from the North will not have to compete against the 
South, the West, the Midlands, &c., or vice versa. The Secretary is 
Mr. Edward Owen Greening, of 3, Agar Street, Strand, London, W.C., 
from whom schedules can be obtained free of charge. 
- The Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—A t a meeting of the 
Committee held on Friday evening last, Mr. J. Laing in the chair, it 
was announced that subscriptions were coming in freely in view of the 
voting for candidates on July 18th, and it is desirable that all payments 
still due be made as early as possible. There are more candidates than 
ever, and this proves conclusively the necessity for such a Fund, and an 
extension of support from the gardening community. The bank book 
showed a balance of £700, and it was decided to invest £500 of it in 
Consols. A cheque for £138 14s. 9d. was received from Mr. Arthur W. 
Sutton, Reading, the Treasurer of the Wildsmith Memorial, as the 
amount subscribed, and a child will be placed on the books as an 
annuitant in July. Mr. Robinson, The Gardens, Heversham, Miln- 
thorpe, sent £14 5s. 7d. as the proceeds of a concert, and a cheque for 
£10 10s. was handed in by Mr. Roupell from Messrs. Rothschild. The 
