March 17, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF' HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
211 
in America it has been considered distinct. It is described in the 
“ American Gardener’s Monthly ” as a native of highlands in Central 
America, where it is known as “ Pepino,” a term also applied to the 
Cucumber. In California it has been grown successfully, one man at Los 
Angelos having had a plantation of 10,000. In “ cool and frost-free 
places ” it is said to thrive and prove profitable. Seed is seldom pro¬ 
duced except in warm districts in Guatemala, and the sample sent to us 
does not contain any. 
- We are informed that Dr. August Wilhelm 'Eichler, 
Professor of Botany at the Berlin University, and Director of the Royal 
Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum at Berlin, died on Wednesday 
Ihe 2nd March. 
- We understand that MESSRS. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, 
have obtained the contract for furnishing, planting, and maintaining 
trees, shrubs, Ac., in the various Board schools within the London dis¬ 
trict. The same firm announces that the annual exhibition of 
Hyacinths, Tulips, and spring-flowering plants will be open to visitors 
at the Highgate Nursery from March 25th to April 7th. 
-Jarrold’s Norwich Almanack and Directory.—I f any of 
our readers desire to know much about Norwich, its inhabitants and 
trades, we can recommend to them the above annual, which is a neatly 
bound^volume of 391 pages, crowded with information pertaining to the 
city and county. 
- Considerable enterprise is displayed by Messrs. Wood & Son 
in offering special prizes at horticultural shows during the 
year. We obserye in the list before us three silver cups and twenty-five 
silver medals to be awarded at twenty-six exhibitions. At several of 
these no conditions nor restrictions are imposed, but at others the 
products have to be grown with the aid of the special manures of the 
firm. 
- Ducks and Crocuses.—A n extraordinary case is reported to 
ns from Sheriff Hutton, where a Duck belonging to Mr. Hopperton 
gradually pined away and died. On a post-mortem examination being 
made it was found that the bird had swallowed two Crocus bulbs, which 
were found in its crop, and which had apparently germinated there, as 
they were growing distinct flowers.— (Poultry ) 
- Mr. Wm. Paul, F.L.S., of Waltham Cross is announced to read 
a paper on the “ Literature of Gardening ” before the Royal 
Society of Literature, 21, Delahay Street, Westminster, on Wednesday, 
the 23rd March, at 8 p.m. 
- Large Cineraria Flowers. —Some Cineraria flowers grown 
by Mr. H. Shoebridge at Carshalton have been sent to us. The largest 
is 3J inches in diameter, colour mauve, with a large white centre. The 
cultivator describes them as Carter’s Brilliant Prize. We do not remem¬ 
ber seeing larger flowers than that, though possibly larger may be grown 
by some of our readers. 
- From Messer A Thorpe, 8, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, we 
have received a copy of their Kitchen Gardener’s Calendar, a 
card-board sheet, 2 feet long by I5 wide, showing in diagramatic form 
when the principal crops should be sown, planted, stored, Ac. Forty 
vegetables are named, and the instructions are given by means of 
variously formed coloured marks under the respective months. It i s 
ngeniously designed, but is not likely to be of much practical value to 
gardeners, though it may prove suggestive to amateurs. 
- The Exhibition of Hyacinths in Messrs. Lucombe, Pince, 
and Co.’s Nursery, Exeter, on Friday last, and being favoured with fine 
weather proved very successful. The prizes were obtained by the Rev. 
T. J. Yarde, Chudlcigh (gardener, Mr. Jesse Daw), Mrs. Rowe, Pennsyl¬ 
vania (gardener, Mr. Baker), Mr. W. C. Sim, Clyst St. George (gardener, 
Mr. A. C. Williams), Mrs. Norris, Pinhoe (gardener, Mr. F. Viney), and 
Miss Fripp, Teignmouth (gardener, Mr. J. Stiles). Large numbers of 
varieties were shown. 
- Damping Houses. —J. L. B.” writes:—“ I should like the 
opinion of some of your realers on damping the floors, stages, Ac., after 
sunset. As a young man I was taught to do this once, and sometimes 
twice, during the evening ; and since I have been head gardener 1 have 
sometimes advanced a step farther, and have syringed Ferns, Roses, and 
stove plants, more especially in houses heated by flues, some of which, 1 
»ni sorry to say, are still under my charge. I have frequently syringed 
Chrysanthemums and Vines after very hot days in summer. I thought 
by this I was imitating Nature, but it has occurred to me lately that I 
may have been doing wrong.” 
- Horticultural Club. —At the last monthly dinner and 
conversaziour, held at the Club room, there was a good attendance of 
members. The discussion was opened by Dr. Masters, who alluded to 
the history and development of the Chinese Primrose as affording a re¬ 
markable illustration of the phenomena of variation independent of 
those produced by cross-breeding or hybridisation. The presumed 
causes, purpose, and significance of variations were briefly alluded to. 
Some of the variations were apparently due to excessive or to diminished 
heat, light, or food supplies ; others to reversion to a primitive ancestral 
state, presumptive evidence of which latter is derived from an examina¬ 
tion of the course of development of the seedling plant. That hybridisa¬ 
tion had played no part, in recent times at least, was shown by the fact 
that until lately the wild form of the plant was not known, and, more¬ 
over, that all attempts to cross-fertilise the Chinese Primroses with 
pollen from other species had hitherto failed. The plant as first intro¬ 
duced to this country was a cultivated form, which immediately 
manifested a tendency to vary, and in practice it was always grown as 
an annual. During the last few years, however, the true wild species 
had been found in the mountains of Y-Chang in Central China by 
several collectors growing on bare limestone rocks exposed to the sun, 
and with but scanty supply of water. Dr. Masters, owing to the kind¬ 
ness of M. Franchet and Mr. Hemsley, was enabled to give a slight 
account of the wild plant, which is a perennial with a thick, woody, 
branching rootstock covered with the remains of former leaves, and 
with an internal construction different from that of any known Prim¬ 
rose. Messrs. J. Laing, G. Paul, Pearson, Girdlestone, D’Ombrain, 
Wilks, and others, took part in the interesting discussion which 
followed. 
-On Monday, 14th inst., the Hull and East Riding Chrys¬ 
anthemum Society held their annual dinner at the Station Hotel. 
Mr. George Bohn, C.E., presided, and among those present were the 
Mayor (Alderman Leak), Major Brodrick, J.P., Captain Gurney (Chief 
Constable), Captain W. S. Brodrick. Messrs. R. Falconer Jameson, W. 
Hawksworth, F. W. Jameson, R. Collison (Hon. Sec.), R. W. Holder, 
R. W. Judge, C. Judge, E. Harland, W. W. Cogan, C. II. Collison, E. B. 
Stather, W. Roper, J. W. Potter, A. W. Stanley (Vice-President), E. 
Procter, G. Cottam, jun., J. Dixon, E. Goddard, J. Raby. Sherwood, J. 
Hornsey, and S. Higham. At the conclusion of the repast the usual 
loyal toasts were proposed and honoured, the Hon. Secs., Messrs. Jameson 
and Hawksworth, being presented with handsomely illuminated framed 
addresses. Several other toasts were proposed, and the meeting proved a 
very satisfactory one to all present. 
- Mr. IV. A. Cook writes from Peterborough :—“ I enclose a 
bloom of a new seedling Rose (named Mrs. House) raised by Mr. 
House of Eastgate Nurseries, Peterborough. As you will observe, it has 
all the good qualities of a first-class bloom ; it also has a distinct advan¬ 
tage, being as it is very highly scented. It forces well, is very dwarf, 
though robust constitution. Shall be gla l to hear your able opinion of 
it. I consider it a great treat to have a Rose as Mrs. House in flower 
now. I do not know one more sweet.” The bloom is deliciously fra¬ 
grant, possessing the scent of the old Provins Cabbage Rose. The 
petals are broad and smooth, rich rose in colour, faintly suffused with 
purple. 
- The < Weather. — <; W. K., Blair D vmmond," writes thus:— 
“ After nearly a fortnight of unseasonably fine weather Scotland has 
been visited by a heavy snowstorm followed by severe frost. The fal* 
began on the night of Wednesday, the 9th inst., and continued till the 
afternoon of Friday. From different parts of the country even depths 
of from 8 to 20 inches are reported, and the drift has rendered the roads 
in some places all but impassable. In South Perthshire the low grounds 
were covered to the depth of 10 inches. In that district on the night of 
Friday, the 11th, 10°, and on the following night 18° of frost were 
registered, with no appearance of change.” Around London low tem¬ 
peratures have also been registered. On Sunday and Monday there were 
13° of frost in several distiicts, snow falling at intervals throughout 
Saturday and heavily on Tuesday. The change appears to have been 
general, for on the Continent the weather during the past week has beeu 
extremely cold. 
