February 4, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WOELD 
365 
Manchester Botanical and Horticultural.— 
Jan. 3 lsi. 
The annual meeting of the Royal Botanical and Horti¬ 
cultural Society of Manchester and the Northern 
Counties was held on Tuesday in the Mayor’s Parlour 
at the Town Hall. The president, the Earl of Derby, 
presided, and there was a fairly good attendance of 
proprietors. 
The Earl of Derby moved—“ That the report of the 
council now submitted, together with the statement of 
receipts and expenditure for the past year, which have 
been duly audited, be hereby approved and adopted.” 
He said he was afraid he should disappoint those who 
might expect him to make any comments upon the 
report, because, as a matter of fact, it had not been in 
his power during the past year to give personal attention 
to the affairs of the society, and under those circum¬ 
stances, though he did not want to avoid any respon¬ 
sibility which fell upon him in the position which he 
held, he thought it was better to leave the discussion 
of the report to those who had more practical knowledge 
of what had been done. He was glad to find that their 
arrangements in connection with the exhibition of last 
year had been—as it appeared to him they had—of an 
altogether satisfactory character. He was especially 
glad to find, if he was not mistaken in the inference he 
drew from the report, that the result of that exhibition, 
and of the negotiations which had passed between the 
council of the society and the managers of it had led to 
a very considerable reduction in the encumbrances upon 
the society. 
Mr. J. Broome, in seconding the motion, said he 
must in the first place congratulate the proprietors 
upon having resumed possession of the gardens at Old 
Trafford. There was no reason whatever why they 
should have made arrangements with any society or 
committee, excepting the one reason which influenced 
the council in handing the grounds over for a time to 
the exhibition committee. They had in view the fact 
that last year was the Jubilee year of Her Majesty’s 
reign, and they wished to take part in commemorating 
that event. The exhibition was now a matter of 
history. It had been a grand success, and he believed 
the Botanical Gardens had been a great factor in that 
success. Owing to the fact that the Whitsuntide 
show had to be held outside the grounds, and to the 
attractions of the exhibition, there had been a loss 
upon the shows all round, but he did not think that 
they ought to be disheartened about their society, for, 
after the large expenditure that had been incurred during 
the last ten years in re-building and re-arranging the 
glass structures, they found that they were to-day in 
the position of owing the same amount of money that 
they owed in 1877. Their indebtedness amounted to 
£6,600, but if they took into account the £4,000 that 
they had to receive from the exhibition committee for 
the restoration of the grounds, it would reduce it to 
something over £2,000. Of course, out of that £4,000 
they must restore the gardens. He was told that the 
gallery of approach, which had passed into the hands of 
the Botanical Society, cost the exhibition committee 
£5,000 ; and in addition to that gallery, the base of 
the fountain, the tower, and several bridges came into 
their possession. He thought that the arrangement 
with the exhibition committee was, on the whole, a 
very satisfactory one, but still one which they justly 
thought they had a title to claim. In looking at the 
position they occupied in comparison with former 
years, he did not think there was anything to deplore 
or to give them the least dissatisfaction. 
As to the future, the council were very anxious to 
make the gardens of the greatest possible value to the 
proprietors, the subscribers, and also to the public. 
They proposed, as would be seen from the prospectus, 
to make them more attractive by the aid of music, 
both vocal and instrumental. They desired not only 
to provide amusement, but also instruction and benefit 
in the way a botanical society ought to do. They had 
now the gallery of approach of the Exhibition, which 
would be used in some way. His own notion was 
that they might perhaps convert it into a concert- 
room, or devote a part of it to purposes of that kind. 
The refreshment-house they had purchased would be a 
very valuable assistance to them, if only for the cover¬ 
ing it would provide. They were now, according to 
the calculations of Mr. Findlay, enabled to provide 
shelter for 7,000 persons. The resolution was passed. 
On the motion of Mr. J. Wainwright, seconded by 
Mr. E. G. Hughes, a vote of thanks was presented to 
the retiring council. Mr. R. Gibson moved the 
re-election of Lord Derby as president of the society, 
the re-election of the vice-presidents, with the 
addition of Mr. W. Grimshaw, and the re-election of 
the council. Mr. J. Collins seconded the motion, 
which was passed. 
On the motion of Mr. S. Barlow, seconded by Mr. 
Tait, a vote of thanks was given to the Mayor for 
having granted the society the use of the room. Dr. 
Ainsworth moved a vote of thanks to Lord Derby for 
presiding, and the Earl, in replying, alluded to the 
loss which that society, and not only that society, but 
the community of Manchester generally, had sustained 
by the death of Dr. Watts. 
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FLORICULTURE. 
Auriculas. 
During the few mild days of a week or so ago I care¬ 
fully went through all my plants, removing dead 
foliage, stirring the surface soil, and taking away any 
that had become green on the surface, adding a little 
fresh compost when necessary, and then giving such of 
the plants as required it a watering with water slightly 
chilled. They had a couple of days to drain and for 
the stages to get dry before the frost came ; and now 
they are firmly gripped by the frost, and though the 
plants are in a house, they are frozen as hard as if 
they were in the open. The atmosphere is perfectly 
dry about the plants, air being always admitted, and 
yet we are accused of coddling our plants and making 
them tender, because we prefer to grow them in 
pots under glass—in cold houses and frames of course— 
instead of trusting them to the tender mercies of the 
open ground, as we are told we should do ! 
The period of awakening is close at hand. We do 
not often get prolonged spells of frost in the month of 
February. We may get a few days sharp frost, but 
the period will not be long ; meanwhile, the plants are 
snug and comfortable, and ready for action when the 
call of Nature comes to them. I am looking forward 
with great pleasure to the blooming of a batch of 
seedling doubles, from which I anticipate great things. 
-R. D. -- 
THE WEATHER. 
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean 
reading of the barometer during the week ending 
January 28th was 29.98 ; the highest reading was 
30.28 ins. at noon on Tuesday, and the lowest was 
29.66 ins. on Thursday morning. The mean tempera¬ 
ture of the air was 40.7 deg., and 0.9 deg. above the 
average in the corresponding weeks of the twenty years 
ending 1868. The mean showed an excess on each of 
the first five days of the week, whereas it was below the 
average on Friday and Saturday. The general direc¬ 
tion of the wind was north-westerly, and the hori¬ 
zontal movement of the air averaged 18.4 miles per 
hour, which was 4.4 miles above the average in the 
corresponding weeks of sixteen years. Rain fell on 
two days of the week, to the aggregate amount of 
0.10 of an inch. The duration of registered bright 
sunshine in the week was 3.0 hours, against 17.6 
hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 
Rainfall in 1887. 
Mr. E. Bayman, gardener at Holmbury, near Dorking, 
Surrey, sends us a tabulated statement of the rainfall 
at that place, which is 560 ft. above the sea-level, 
during the past year. The total for that period was 
26.90 ins.; the greatest amount recorded in any month 
being 6.02 ins. in November, and the smallest 0.86 ins. 
in June. The greatest fall during twenty-four hours 
was recorded on the 30th of August, when 0.90 ins. 
fell ; and the smallest 0.21 on the 2nd of February. 
The number of days upon which rain fell during the 
year was 167, the highest monthly record being 
twenty-eight days in November, and the lowest, three 
days in June. 
Mr. J. Ellam, gardener at Cliveden, Bucks, records the 
total rainfall at that place in 1887 as being 19.82 ins. 
The highest amount which fell in any one month was 
3.08 ins. in November and the lowest 0.62 ins. in 
February ; and the greatest rainfall in twenty-four 
hours was 0.94 ins. on January 3rd; the lowest being 
0.18 ins. on February 17th. The number of days on 
whichrain fell was 139, the highest monthly recordbeing 
eighteen days in May, and the lowest, three days in 
June. __ 
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. 
Flower Beds. — Bedding Out : With the material at hand, and 
if you intend using them all in the two beds you mention, we 
think the arrangement could not well be otherwise. For 
instance, if Golden Feather were used as an edging to Mrs. 
Pollock Pelargonium, the colours would clash; and Santolina 
incana would clash with Flower of Spring Pelargonium. But 
we should advise you to use Mrs. Pollock alone for the centre, 
if you have sufficient material. Iresine and Flower of Spring 
would answer very well mixed ; but the last-mentioned would 
also look very well mixed with Verbena venosa or some blue 
bedding Viola. The latter, we believe, would grow very well in 
your locality, and the blue flowers and green foliage form an 
admirable contrast to the variegated foliage of Flower of Spring. 
Dead Leaves. — Dracotna: We have examined the leaves of 
Dracaena Lindeni and of Pandanus Veitchii sent us, and have 
come to the conclusion that they have been destroyed by unfair 
means. Under ordinary circumstances most leaves begin to 
decay from the apex downwards as they get old and begin to die 
off and fall away ; but the leaves sent are apparently quite fresh 
and normally coloured in the upper part, and the basal half is 
dead and discoloured, smelling badly, while they are only partly 
dried up. We should be inclined to think something has been 
intentionally or unintentionally thrown upon them, or that they 
have been syringed with a too strong or improperly mixed 
solution of paraffin to kill bug or other vermin sheltering at the 
base of the leaves and in the crown of the plant. Without 
knowing the facts of the case, these are merely suggestions. 
Cattleyas and L.elias. — T. P. : 1, All those species that rest 
in winter should be kept quite cool and moderately dry when 
the pseudo-bulbs have become plumped up, or, in other words, 
when they have attained their full size. Water must not, how¬ 
ever, be entirely withheld at this season, otherwise the pseudo¬ 
bulbs will shrivel—an evil to be avoided. 2, Generally speaking, 
the above conditions should be maintained from November till 
the end of February, with the exception of such as flower in 
winter, namely, Lselia autumnalis, L. anceps, Cattleya Trianse, 
&c. The mere fact of the flower-sheath pushing up will not 
necessitate any material increase in the watering; but as the 
flowers commence to expand, the plants will require more to 
prevent exhaustion and the consequent shrivelling of the 
pseudobulbs from the strain put upon them by the flowers. 
When the flowering period is over, or the flowers have been 
removed, watering may again be withheld as advised during the 
resting period, to keep them quiet till the spring. 3, When 
growth recommences in spring, it proceeds at first slowly, so 
watering must be given at the same ratio. The young growths 
aie the first to push away, but this will not of itself necessitate 
any material increase of watering, although they must not be 
starved even at this stage; but gradually increase the tempera¬ 
ture and the amount of water. When the young roots develop 
they merely indicate that the plant is prepared for a greater 
supply. 
Christmas Rose.— E. B. : There is no difficulty attached to 
the propagation of this plant by division, if a little care and 
forethought is exercised. We should advise you, however, to 
leave it over till the end of March, when the temperature will be 
more favourable to a recommencement of growth. Do not adopt 
the barbarous method of chopping the clumps into pieces with 
a spade. The best method to make the most of your plants is to 
lift the whole and carefully shake away the soil so that the roots 
become fully exposed. Then with a knife sever the clump into 
as many pieces as there are crowns of leaves. There need be no 
unnecessary waste by this method, and the uninjured roots will 
be better able to re-establish themselves. 
Chimonanthus fragrans. — Gardener: There are several 
forms of this well-known shrub, differing somewhat in the size 
and general conspicuousness of the flowers; but they all agree 
in being sweet scented, and flower during the winter months, 
earlier or later as the weather is mild or severe. The variety 
known as C. f. grandiflorus is the best, and may be had from 
nurserymen who go in largely for shrubs. 
Orchid Peat — B. G. : Peat that may be considered in 
every way suitable for Orchid growing must contain a large 
quantity of undecayed fibre, and be, in fact, of a spongy or 
compressible nature. When this is broken up, the fibrous and 
lumpy parts are retained, while the fine material is used in 
composts for the potting of other plants. Peat for potting 
Heaths, Azaleas, and similar subjects should be of a much 
darker and more solid nature ; and although such would be all 
the better if it contained fibre, it would be useless for this 
purpose if loose and spongy. 
Cut-leaved Bramble. — F. G.: It is not definitely knowii 
where this Bramble originated, but ever since it became known 
or sufficiently noticed, has been considered nothing more nor less 
than a form of the common Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), to 
which it bears the same relation as the cut-leaved Elder to the 
typical form. Neither is it new, although considerable attention 
has been given to it recently as a fruiting plant. Grow it in a 
fully exposed position, or even nail the young wood to a wall, 
and cut the old away annually after it has fruited. 
Silver Plane. — G. Brown: As you use the word Sycamore, 
we understand you mean the Common Maple or False Plane 
(Acer Pseudo-Platanus), or the White Maple (Acer eriocarpum). 
In any case the method of propagation is the same in each, and 
may be effected by the ordinary method of whip or splice-graftiDg 
in March, or by shield-budding in autumn. Use seedling stocks 
of the Common Sycamore, on which to graft the tree you intend 
to increase. Propagation might also, in cases of emergency or 
from want of stocks, be effected by layering; but neither that nor 
propagation by cuttings is much practised, if at all. Cuttings 
might be rooted, but we believe with difficulty. 
Names of Plants. — R. C. K.: Epidendrum ciliare. Odonto.: 
A very poor form of Odontoglossum crispum. IF. J. Murphy : 
The variety most like Fanny Boucharlat, but we are unable to 
say for certain what it is. 
Erratum. —In the note on the Araucaria at Fair Oak Lodge, 
at p. 347, for “ excelsa ” read “ imbrieata.” In the article on 
the Culture of Cattleyas and La-lias, at p. 308, in the twenty- 
eighth line from the bottom of the column, for “ doused ” read 
“dewed.” At. p. 342, commencing on the fortieth line from the 
top, for “ rain water is best for the purpose,” read, “ rain-water 
is the best for watering purposes,” not necessarily for damping 
down as there implied. 
Communications Received.— M.I. — C. J.— H. G. Rch. — G. S. — 
E. B.—W. B.— A. L.—L. C.—G. S. A.—W. H. 
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TEADE CATALOGUES EECEIVED. 
Richard Dean, Ranelagh Road, Ealing, W. — New and Choice 
Primroses, Polyanthuses, Pansies, &e. Choice Varieties of 
Potatos. 
Fisher, Son & Sibray, Market Street, Sheffield.—Kitchen- 
Garden and Flower Seeds, Horticultural Requisites. 
Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co , 4, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris.— 
General Catalogue of Flower and Vegetable Seeds, &c. 
M. de Reydellet, Valence (Drome), France.—New Varieties 
of Chrysanthemums. 
The Specialty and Novelty Seed Co., Newton-le-Willows 
Lancashire.—Selected Flow'tr and Vegetable Seeds. 
