December 6, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF EORTIGULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
519 
- The Pomegkaxate. —Mr. W. H. Divers, Belvoir Castle 
Gardens, writes :—“ I notice a slight mistake on page 497, where it says 
this plant has fruited here this season. Such is not the case, I regret to 
say, although it flowered well, and the singularly formed flowers are very 
pretty and last well. I cannot hear of any fruits having been found 
here at any time, and conclude that our English climate is too cold for 
the flowers to set.” 
- December Flowers in Scotland. —Our Lanarkshire corre¬ 
spondent writes: — “Christmas Roses, Chrysanthemums, Primroses 
Daisies, Polyanthuses, and Wallflowers enliven the borders in the 
twelfth month of the year, while Snowdrops give promise of blooms 
before the year is past. Bees are still enjoying themselves during the 
mild weather on Arabia and the aforementioned flowers. One remark¬ 
able thing is a Spider-web Sedum has this year come destitute of its 
tomentum.” 
- What’s in a Name?—A contributor to a contemporary has 
been greatly disturbed by the increasing use of the word “ scientist.” It 
is usually, he says, the result ot a paucity of erudition and expression 
which comes of the modern system of cramming with text-books and 
general hurry in education. Why not speak of nomenclators as 
“ nameists,” of a sempstress as a “ sewist,” or a conchologist as a 
“ shellist,” or we might add, a Carnation grower a “ carnationist ” ? All 
these words may come into use, but are as equally out of place as 
“ scientist.” The word was apparently first coined by Whewell in 1840, 
in “ Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences,” and for some time past has 
frequently appeared in print. 
-National Amateur Gardeners’ Association.—T he last 
periodical meeting of this Association for the current year was held at 
the Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, B.C., on Tuesday evening last, 
under the presidency of Mr. T. W. Sanders. As usual, an exhibition 
was held in connection with the meeting, and Mr. Dipper succeeded in 
winning a silver cup given for the highest number of certificates granted 
throughout the year. We understand that the members will hold their 
fourth annual dinner on Wednesday evening, December 12th, at 
the Guildhall Tavern, Gresham Street, E.C., at seven o’clock precisely. 
The silver cup, medals, and prizes won during the year will be presented 
on that oecasion. 
- Olearia Haasti. —This plant grows freely here, forming 
bushes 5 to 6 feet high and as much in diameter, and has flowered very 
freely this season ; in fact, the plants were masses of white flowers, and 
stood out very conspicuously among Rhododendrons and other shrubs 
at a time when other flowering shrubs were over. 0. dentata also 
flowered well, I believe for the first time. It is much lighter and 
prettier in appearance than 0. Haasti ; it flowers about two months 
earlier, and I am afraid is not so hardy. It has a very sweet scent, and 
soon ripens seed. But the gem of the family, as far as I know it, is 
O. Gunniana, a beautiful shrub when in flower, and worth a little extra 
trouble in the way of protection, which it undoubtedly requires, such 
as planting close to a south wall, and a mat round it during severe frost. 
I remember seeing a plant of it in Edinburgh Botanic Gardens some 
years since, and also had a good plant at Ketton Hall at one time.— 
W. H. Divers, Belvoir Castle Gardens, Grantham. 
- Foreign Grapes. —There is reason to hope that the low price 
and plentiful supply of Grapes in the English markets will not be 
passing privileges, as with the application of freezing processes to the 
preservation of fruit cargoes the supply from different parts of the 
world seems likely to increase. Of late, too, says a daily contemporary, 
in the north of France and Belgium the cultivation of choice Vines under 
glass has made mueh more rapid progress than in this country, and the 
famous hothouses of Jersey have now many Continental rivals in the 
competition for British trade. While Florida, California, the Canary 
Islands, and Australia are sending more fruit than ever to this country, 
a considerable impetus has been given of late to Vine cultivation at the 
Cape of Good Hope. The quality of the Grapes grown in South Africa 
ia not likely to subject them to the same sort of criticism as that from 
which Cape wine suffers. The white fruit sold at Covent Garden at 
Is. 6d. per pound, and the black at 2s., are said to be quite as fine as the 
English hothouse Grapes, which fetch more than Ss. or 43. During the 
last two years steamers furnished with ice-houses have been occupied 
entirely in this traffic, and as the climate is admirably adapted to the 
cultivation it is more than probable that Grape farming at the Cape 
will be largely extended. Some of the existing farms are very large; 
one of them, on the Hex river near Cape Town, covering as much as 
2000 acres. 
- The Worshipful Company of Gardeners.—T his Company 
dined on the 26th ult., in the Grafton Galleries, Grafton Street, Bond 
Street, Mr. Beaumont Shepheard, the Master, occupying the chair. Sir 
Albert Rollit proposed the toast in honour of the Gardeners’ Company, 
which, he said, was doing a good work in the way of awarding scholar¬ 
ships and other rewards to gardeners. The Master briefly acknowledged 
the compliment. 
- The Weather in Wales —Mr. William Mabbott, The 
Gardens, Gwernllwyn House, Dowlais, Glamorgan, writes :—“ The 
following is a summary of the weather here for the past month. 
Number of days on which rain fell, twenty-one ; depth, 7-65 inches ; 
maximum, 100 inch on the 12th ; minimum, 0 01 on the 16th. Sun¬ 
shine, fifty hours fifty-five minutes ; sunless days, eleven. Very wet 
until the 22nd, since which we have had no rain, but cold east 
winds and sharp frosts.” 
- The Weather in Hertfordshire. —Mr. E. Wallis, The 
Gardens, Hamels Park, Buntingford, writes :—“ The weather during the 
past month has been very mild and open. The rainfall was heavy 
during the first part of the month. Since the 18th the weather has 
been most favourable for outdoor work, particularly for planting opera¬ 
tions. Rain fell on fourteen days during past month. Maximum in 
any twenty-four hours was 0 85 on the 12th ; minimum in any twenty- 
four hours, 0 01 on the 28th. Total during the whole month, 3‘14 ; 
against 1’75 of 1893.” 
•- Weather in Ireland. —It is satisfactory to report that 
County Dublin is not behind in the matter of favourable weather, 
apparently so general over the British Isles. November had all but 
passed ere we received that snap, which generally reaches us in 
September, when, on the morning of the 28 th, our thermometer 
registered 6° of frost, and even that seemed bereft of its usual savagery, 
for Dahlia blooms still hold their heads. I have just gathered a handful 
of spotless blooms from the Safrano Rose on the south wall, whilst self- 
sown Nasturtiums peep out brilliant through a Clematis on an archway. 
The calm and pleasant days of late are productive of some forebodings 
from the weatherwise, who denominate them as “ pet days,” a term used 
here to express that capriciousness of character pet subjects are supposed 
to possess. I shall not prophesy any serious fall of temperature until 
the press reports severe weather on the Continent, then we may 
anticipate a change.—E.K. 
- The Weather Last Month. —Mr. W. H. Divers, Belvoir 
Castle Gardens, Grantham, writes :—“ November was very mild, with 
less fog than October, and no frost worth mentioning. It was remark¬ 
able for a very low reading !of the barometer—28‘736 on 14th, at 
4.10 p.m.; and for heavy storms of wind and rain on 12th, 13th, and 
14th. The wind was in a southerly direction eighteen days. Total 
rainfall was 2-60 inches, which fell on twenty-four days, the greatest 
daily fall being 0 69 inch, on the 12th. Barometer—highest 30'290, 
at 9 A M., on 30th ; lowest 28'736, at 4.10 p.m., on 14thi Temperature 
—highest in shade 61°, on 2nd and 3rd ; lowest 31°, on 24th. Mean 
daily maximum, 50 43°; mean daily minimum, 39'83°; mean tempera¬ 
ture of the month, 4513°; lowest on grass 25°, on 24th and 30th. 
Highest sun heat 105°, on 2nd ; mean temperature of earth at 3 feet^ 
47'16°. Total sunshine, seventy-three hours fifteen minutes, on twenty 
days, ten days being sunless.” 
- Summary of Meteorological Observations at Hod- 
sock Priory, Worksop, Notts, for November. —Mean temperature 
of month, 46 0°. Maximum on the 2ad, 62 7°; minimum on the 30th, 
28'8°. Maximum in the sun on the 4th, 103 0° ; minimum on grass on 
the 30t,h, 20-0°. Mean temperature of air at 9 A.M , 45’4°. Mean 
temperature of soil at 1 foot deep, 46 0. Number of nights below 32° 
in shade one, on grass fourteen. Sunshine—total duration in month 
fifty hours, or 20 per cent, of possible duration. We had thirteen 
sunless days. Total rainfall 1 29 inch. Rain fell on twelve days. 
Average velocity of wind, 8‘9 miles per hour ; velocity exceeded 400 
miles on three days, and fell short of 100 miles on eight days. Approxi¬ 
mate average for November.—Mean temperature, 42'3° ; sunshine fifty 
hours ; rainfall, 2 03 inches. A dry and very mild month with a large 
proportion of S. and S.W. winds, and about normal sunshine. The first 
part was unsettled but without much rain. The last ten days were 
rainless. The mean temperature is the highest we have ever had in 
November except in 1881. An unusual absence of frosts. The mean 
temperature of October was 48-1°; soil temperature, 50°; rainfall, 
3'36 inches. —J. Mallender. 
