January 20, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
53 
was to the effect that it was fast rising in the estimation of the people of 
Sheffield, and has before it a very promising future. The President 
(M. Firth, Esq.) and two Vice-Presidents (0. E. Jeffcock, Esq., and 
A. Wilson, Esq.) each signified their intention of giving a sum of £5 
to be awarded as the C jmmittee may determine for special prizes in 
the schedule about to be prepared for the Society’s next Show. It was 
also stated during the evening that the Committee intend offering a 
challenge cup in addition to the money prizes in the open class for forty- 
eight cut blooms, and that the Hon. Treasurer (Hr. H. Broomhead) has 
already received promises of subscriptions to a considerable amount 
towards the purchase of a cup. 
-The annual dinner of the subscribers and committee to the 
Portsmouth Chrysanthemum Society took place at the Albany 
Hotel, Portsmouth, on Wednesday. The Mayor, W. D. King, Esq., took 
the chair, and Mr. C mncillor F. Power, Hon. Sec., the vice-chair. About 
sixty sat down to dinner. In proposing the toasts, the Mayor proposed the 
“ Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Royal Family.’’ Mr. A. W. 
White proposed the “ Mayor and Corporation,” and said the Town could 
congratulate itself on having at the head of affairs a gentleman not only 
of ability, but one who threw his whole heart into his duties. Mr. 
Barnes proposed the “ Subscribers,” and said that he, Mr. Power, Mr. 
Ellis, Mr. Fulljames, talked over the forming of such a Society three 
years ago, and they collected £100 this last season. The funds were so 
good they gave a prize cup value'£25, which Mr. E. Molyneux won the 
first time. On behalf of the Committee he thanked the subscribers. 
Alderman Baker replied, and spoke of the true pleasure flowers afforded 
to all classes of the community, and of the pleasure the Committee bad 
been the means of giving to both rich and poor. Mr. J. Moody pro¬ 
posed the “ Committee and Mr. F. Power.” He epoke'of the humble 
origin of the flower shows, which were started by Mr. Power, and of 
their grand growth, until they had arrived to their present success He 
saw that this year they commenced with a balance of £42. Mr. Power re¬ 
plied, and said their great object next autumn was to’get more money and 
t) offer more prizes, and make it a regular Jubilee Show, and they could 
look forward to still greater success, especially as the horticultural papers 
had helped them. Mr. Power urged that their success was due to charging 
low prices, and they might depend upon it that by charging popular 
prices they would get the best support. Alderman G. E. Kent proposed 
the “ Exhibition and Prizewinners.” Mr. W. Drover of Fareham replied, 
and was sorry not to have met Mr. Molyneux here to have replied. He 
had been to most of the Chrysanthemum Shows this season, and if the 
Portsmouth Show goes on as it has done this three years it will not be 
second to any in the kingdom. The “ Health of the Mayor ” was pro¬ 
posed by Mr. Power. The Mayor responded, and wished every success 
to the next Show. 
- At a meeting of the Royal Botanic Society, held recently 
at their gardens in Regent’s Park, Mr. J. P. Gassiott, Vice-President 
in the chair, the Secretary spoke of the great damage done to the trees and 
shrubs in the gardens by the heavy snow of December 26tb, many large 
branches being wrenched completely off. Mr. G. J. Symons, F.R.S., said 
that so great a weight of snow had not fallen at any time during the last 
thirty years. The destruction caused by it he traced to its very great 
•density, more approaching that of ice than snow, and to the fact of its 
having thawed while falling, so that it stuck fast to the branches instead 
of reaching the ground. A rapid thaw occurred early this week, and the 
snow has now nearly disappeared. 
- Mr. Joseph Mallender sends the following summary op me¬ 
teorological OBSERVATIONS AT HODSOCK PRIORY, WORKSOP, NOTTS, 
for December, 1886 :—Mean te nperature of month, 34 9°. Maximum 
on the 6th, 53-2° ; minimum on the 18th, l? 1 ! 0 . Maximum in sun on the 
41 h, 881® ; minimum on the grass on the 18th, 10 3°. Mean temperature 
of the air at 9 A.M., 33-7°; mean temperature of the soil 1 foot deep, 37'3°. 
Number of nights below 32°—in shade 16, on grass 30. Total duration of 
sunshine in month sixty- me hours, or 26 per cent, of possible duration ; 
six sunless days. Total rainfall 3 - 51 inches. Maximum fall in twenty- 
four hours on the 14th, 0-85 inch. Rain fell on fourteen days. Wind 
mostly from westerly points. Average velocity of wind 12\3 miles per 
hour. Velocity exceeded 400 miles on eight days, and fell short of 100 
miles on two days. The coldest December since 1870 ; rainfall about 
the average ; sunshine more than in any of the previous five years. The 
barometer minimum reading on the 8th, 27 861, was unprecedentedly low 
in England, but a slightly lower reading was recorded in Scotland in 
year 1884. 
- The same correspondent gives the summary of the weather 
for THE year 1886 as follows :—Mean temperature of the year, 46 8° ; 
maximum on the 4th of July, 82-8° ; minimum on the 7ih of March, 8-4°. 
Maximum in the sun on 4th cf July, 138-2 ; minimum on the grass on 
7th of March — 5-4°. Mean temperature of air at 9 A.M., 46-9° ; mean 
temperature of soil 1 foot deep, 48 0°. Number of nights below 32°—in 
shade 88, on grass 152. Total duration of sunshine for year 1088 hours, 
or 25 per cent, of possible duration. Maximum duration in one day, on 
the 5th of July, 14-2 hours. We had ninety sunless days. Total rainfall 
in year, 27-82 inches ; maximum fall in twenty-four hours on the 13th of 
May, 2-02 inches. Rain fell on 191 days. Approximate averages for 
the year :—Mean temperature, 48-2° ; rainfall, 2510 inches ; sunshine 
(five years) 1274. Remarks 'The year may be described as very cold 
and dull and of slightly more than average rainfall. The heavy snow¬ 
storm on March 1st, followed by a fortnight of intense cold. The 
tremendous rains and heavy floods and absence of sunshine in May, a 
general absence of severe gales and thunderstorms. The sunshine is less 
than in any of the previous five year 5 . Vegetation was very late through¬ 
out the year. The fruit crop was generally a good one, except Apples, 
which were very scarce. Plums were especially abundant. It has 
been a good year for Roses, and also for all late-flowering plants. The 
trees kept their leaves unusually late. 
- We learn that an exploratory expedition to the island of Fer¬ 
nando Noronha will shortly be undertaken by Mr. H. N. Ridley of the 
British Museum, the funds for which have been contributed by the Royal 
Society. This island is situated a few degrees south of the equator, and 
200 or 300 miles off Cabo de S. Roque in Brazil. The marine fauna and 
flora were collected by the naturalists in the “ Challenger” Expedition, but 
as Fernando Noronha is a Brazilian penal settlement, it does not appear that 
any naturalist has until now had an opportunity of investigating the flora 
of the island itself. The permission for Mr. Ridley’s expedition has been 
obtained from the Emperor of Brazil by the trustees of the British 
Museum, and the results are likely to be very interesting. 
GRAPES WITHOUT HEiT FOR THE MILLION. 
( Continued from page 8 .) 
Training. —Upright training is the best, or if horizontal the 
bearing growths must be taken up. It is no use seeking vigour by 
depression. For a fair amount of light to reach the needful annual 
growth the canes should be at least 3 feet apart. This allows 
18 inches on each side for training in the annual growths. If we 
have a low wall, the uprights must be multiplied and the Vine ex¬ 
tended sideways to make up for the deficiency of height. 1 con¬ 
sider two upright rods sufficient for a wall over 20 feet in height, 
the Vines 6 feet apart ; for walls 12 feet high four upright rods, 
the Vines being 12 feet apart ; for walls 8 feet high six to eight 
upright rods, the Vines being 18 or 24 feet apart. It follows that 
the Vines can be planted nearer or further apart. What I shall 
insist on is, that the rods be not nearer for upright training than 
3 feet, and if horizontal training is practised 18 inches. I am aware 
that Vines, as generally seen against walls in this country, have the 
rods much closer, sometimes not more than a foot apart, and the 
bearing shoots or annual growths are often not 9 inches apart. The 
consequence is the Vine is a perfect thicket of small weakly shoots, 
not half of which carry fruit, and those that do have small insig¬ 
nificant bunches and berries, and being deprived of the sun’s warmth 
and light so essential to the solidification of a well-developed 
growth and ripening the fruit. By having the shoots further apart 
we concentrate the strength on the fewer parts, get the four shoots 
in one, and secure much finer bunches and berries, which swell and 
ripen better ; indeed, they are more esteemed at table and bring 
better prices from the fruiterer. With cultivation we could grow 
finer Grapes in this country against walls than find their way from 
foreign vineyards. With the spurs 18 inches apart we can train in 
two shoots if the Vine does not grow sufficiently vigorous to cover 
the space, and I find this an excellent plan for renewing the spurs, 
as when close pruning is not satisfactory we have only to train in 
another shoot from the base, and this from not carrying fruit plumps 
the base eyes ; besides, I have practised the double-spur system with 
manifest advantage. In this case we take two shoots from each 
spur annually. One is allowed to fruit and the other not, and this 
last forms very much finer buds than the fruiting one at the base, 
and ripens the wood very much better. The fruited shoot is cut 
