December 27, 18''4. 
JOURNAL OF EORTIGULUURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
581 
- Gardenixg Appointmext. —We are informed that Her Grace 
the Duchess of Marlborough has taken The Deepdene, Dorking, Surrey, 
and that Mr. F. Chamberlain has been appointed head gardener there. 
- It is stated that the next meeting of the American Pomological 
Society will be held in San Francisco on the IGth, 17th, and 18th of 
January, 1895. Members visiting California will be the guests of the 
State Horticultural Society. 
- According to “Nature,” considerable changes have recently 
been made in the scientific department of Smith College, U.S.A. The 
botanical department has been reorganised, and Dr. W. F. Ganong 
appointed Professor. Miss Grace D. Chester, formerly Instructor in 
Botany, has been appointed Instructor in Cryptogamic Botany. 
- The Hessle Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society. —At a meeting of the above Society, held on December 18th 
a paper on “ Horticulture as an Industry, and its Effects on the National 
Welfare” was read by Mr. Wilkinson, Elloughton, Brough. Mr. 
Wilkinson remarked that the advance of horticulture at the present 
time and the enormous extent of land under cultivation as nurseries and 
market gardens, also the amount of capital it must represent and labour 
employed had an effect on the national welfare from a commercial and 
trading point of view. Mr. Wilkinson concluded by impressing upon 
all present the importance of the work in which they are engaged.— 
F. L. T. 
- Tourneportia cordifolia. —This plant has recently been 
flowering at Kew, and a correspondent in the “Garden and Forest” 
says, “ It was distributed by Monsieur Bruant two years ago as a new 
Boragewort of shrubby habit, with large cordate leaves and crowded 
terminal-branched racemes of Heliotrope-like white flowers. Whatever 
it may be like in South America, where it was found by Monsieur 
E, Andrb, who introduced it, there is little charm in it as a flowering 
plant here, although the leaves are large and handsome, and there is 
the possibility of crossing it with Heliotrope, as suggested by Monsieur 
Bruant. The leaves are cordate, 6 inches by 4, on petioles 2 to 3 inches 
long, and they are of a rich dark green colour, with the texture of the 
leaves of common Heliotrope.” 
- Wounds on Trees —Mr. S. D. Willard, in the “ Eural New 
Yorker,” states that nothing is better for covering bruises on trees than 
oil shellac, with perhaps a little flowers of sulphur and a few drops of 
carbolic acid, which last ingredient should be used very sparingly. The 
mixture can be applied with a paint brush. For the exclusion of air 
from wounds, it is suggested that a grafting wax, made of four parts of 
resin, two parts of beeswax, and one of tallow, melted together, poured 
into water, and immediately worked and made up into half-pound rolls^ 
is convenient to have ready for use. Held in the hand, so that it is 
softened, a small lump of it may be spread over a wound, and it will 
remain for some time and keep out air and germs of disease. If the 
wound is large the application may need to be repeated. 
- Royal Meteorological Society. —The monthly meeting 
of this Society was held on Wednesday, the 19th instant, at the 
Institution of Civil Engineers, Great George Street, Westminster, 
Mr. R. Inwards, F.R.A.S., President, in the chair. Twenty-six new 
Fellows were elected. Mr. H. Southall, F.R.Met.Soc., read a paper on 
“ Floods in the West Midlands,” in which he gave an interesting 
account of the great floods which have occurred in the rivers Severn, 
Wye, Usk, and Avon. He has collected a valuable record of the floods 
on the Wye at Ross, which he arranges in three classes—viz., 
1, Primary or highest of all, those of 14 feet 6 inehes and above; 
2, secondary, those with a height of 12 to feet; and 3, tertiary, 
those with a height of 10 to 12 feet. The dates of the floods above 
14 feet 6 inches are as follows:—1770, November 16th and 18th; 
1795, February 11th and 12th; 1809, January 27th; 1824, November 
24th ; 1831, February 10th ; 1852, February 8th and November 12th. 
The height of the recent flood on November 15th, 1894, was 
14 feet 3 inches, which was higher than any flood since November, 1852. 
The flood on the Avon at Bath on November 15th, 1894, is believed to 
have been the highest on record. Mr. R. H. Scott, F.R.S., gave an 
account of the proceedings of the International Meteorological Com¬ 
mittee at Upsala in August last, with special reference to their 
recommendations on the classification of clouds and the issue of a cloud 
atlas. A paper by Mr. S. C. Knott was also read, giving the results of 
meteorological observations made at Mojanga, Madagascar, during 1892 
to 1894. 
- We learn from a foreign contemporary that Herr W. Siehe of 
Berlin, has undertaken a botanical exploration of the almost unknown 
region of Cilicia Tracbma. 
- Foxgloves. —Like other hardy plants the Foxglove has been 
very much improved of late years both in the lengthening and dis¬ 
tending of the blossoms, some of which are most beautifully spotted and 
marked with a great diversity of colour. As a companion to Del¬ 
phiniums it would be difficult to conceive anything more suitable. In 
addition to the herbaceous border there is nothing better for certain 
positions, such as dotted about in the wild garden, in shrubberies, or on 
the sides of woodland walks. The plants will also thrive on banks, 
under the shade of trees, and many other positions.—G. P. 
- The Gardeners’ Company. —A meeting of the Court of the 
Gardeners’ Company was held recently, at which were present the 
Master (Mr. Beaumont Shepheard), Colonel Lambert (Upper Warden), 
Colonel Sewell, Messrs. Corbie, Ivey, Barker, Crosweller, and the Clerk 
(Mr. R. Gofton Salmond). Mr. E. Binder Davis was introduced, and 
took his seat as a member of the Court. Mr. H. E. Milner and Mr. 
Joseph Lyons, according to a daily contemporary, were admitted to the 
Freedom and Livery of the Company, and, being elected to the Court, 
took their seats accordingly. Mr. Herbert Haynes and Mr. R. L. 
Devonshire were admitted to the Freedom and Livery of the Company. 
A pair of handsome silver-gilt cups have been presented to the Company 
by the Master and Upper Warden. Other business being transacted 
the Court adjourned. 
- Anemone japonica Whirlwind. —Writing to an American 
contemporary, “ Plantsman ” says :—“ There are not too many forms of 
Japan Anemones that are distinct and worth growing. Both of the two 
best known are of garden origin, and these have superseded the original 
typical plant, which is dwarf, bearing a semi-double dull reddish crimson 
flower, not nearly as beautiful as the white-flowered variety or the one 
called Anemone japonica hybrids, which is identical with the white 
form, except in the colour of its flowers, which are pink. We have now 
another variety, quite new, pure white, and with an inner row of petals 
that give the flowers a semi-double appearance, and the effect is pleasing. 
I have observed a disposition to criticise the flower and doubt its useful¬ 
ness, but I believe it would prove an acquisition as a garden plant. Our 
plants thus far are suuall in habit, but this may be due to their age, and 
it may be outgrown. If Whirlwind attains to the stature of the white 
and pink forms it will be valuable. It is worth noting here that within 
the last year or two an Irish grower has sueceeded in raising seedlings 
and some of these are said to be very large and beautiful.” 
- Cultivation op Coffee in India. — According to the 
“ Kew Bulletin,” the early history of Coffee in India is very obscure. 
Most writers agree that it was brought to Mysore about two centuries 
ago by a Muhammadan pilgrim named Baba Budan, who on his return 
from Mecca brought seven seeds with him. Linschoten, who travelled 
in South India from 1576 to 1590, and described the countries through 
which he passed, their people, agriculture, and industries, makes no 
mention of Coffee in India. Tavernier, who journeyed in India in 
1665-69, gives a full account of the Coffee plantations he visited. Dr. 
Wallich, in his evidence before a Select Committee of the House of 
Commons, stated that he never drank better coffee than that produced 
in the Company’s gardens at Calcutta. Near the Bauria Cotton Mills, 
a little below Calcutta, may still be seen some of the original Coffee 
plants sown in connection with an attempt made at the beginning of 
the century to open out Coffee plantations on the plains of Bengal. 
These old plants continue to bear fruits copiously, and the Superin¬ 
tendent of the mills informs the writer that he regularly prepares his 
own Coffee supply from these plants. Though numerous experiments of 
this nature were conducted all over India, and continue to be made to 
the present day. Coffee p’anting has attained a commercial position 
almost exclusively in South India. In British India there were last year 
127,548 acres under the crop. But the area devoted to it in Mysore, 
Travancore, and Cochin would have to be added to that in British 
territory, thus bringing the total up to more than 200,000 acres. There 
are thirty-one Coffee works (for cleaning Coffee) in the Madras 
Presidency, giving employment to 1379 permanent and 5433 temporary 
hands. The exports of Indian Coffee (in spite of the prevalence of 
Coffee-leaf disease) have shown, if anything, a steady tendency to 
increase in value if not in quantity. In 1877-78 the exports were 
298,587 ewfs., of the value of Rs. 1,344,638. Since that time the 
quantity and value have, with slight fluctuations, risen until 1892-93, 
when there were exported 299,337 cwts., of the .value of Rs. 2,082,439. 
