288 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 9, 1892. 
The Association is not at all financially 
in low water, as it has a large invested 
reserve fund, but its annual subscription is 
not at all beyond the reach of those for 
whose benefit the Association is estab¬ 
lished, and it would be greatly strengthened 
in its power to do good by a. largely 
increased membership roll. It is in the 
strength which is found in the combination 
of numbers that the real power of such 
associations as this is found. T. hose who 
are already members speak of the Associa¬ 
tion in the highest terms. The secretary 
is an able lawyer, and his legal knowledge 
being at its service is a matter of the high¬ 
est consideration. 
kchnical Horticultural Education.— 
We should not so soon again have 
referred to this subject but for the appear¬ 
ance of an extraordinary and singularly 
priggish letter on this topic which we 
observe in the columns of our contemporary 
the Gardeners' Chronicle, written by the 
Director of Kew—we beg pardon, the 
Royal Gardens, Kew. We might have 
expected that from such a source would 
have come some words of approval of a 
course which some other County Councils 
than that of Middlesex have taken with 
what seems to be very promising results. 
Still, perhaps it is hardly probable that 
such poor contemptible stuff as practical 
gardening would find very much of favour 
amongst men of such scientifically lofty 
minds as is that of the Director of Kew. 
Teach science which can hardly be sub¬ 
ject to practical demonstration at all, says 
Mr. Dyer, and then all is well, but attempt 
to teach practical gardening through 
lectures, and you will fail. We say, em¬ 
phatically, that such a dictum is as absurd 
as it is inexact. All previous experience 
has shown that practical gardening, cf the 
simplest as well as of the highest order, 
can be taught largely, though not abso¬ 
lutely, in the lectme room, and the testi¬ 
mony of those now engaged by various 
County Councils in such lecturing, and the 
deep interest taken in the subject by the 
audiences, composed of cottagers, artisans, 
gardeners in small places, youths of various 
status in life, and many who may be classed 
as fairly well informed amateurs, all go to 
disprove the dictum of the Director of Kew. 
So far as the teaching of horticulture in 
its higher branches go, what is the product 
of all the lectures delivered before the 
fellow r s of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
inclusive of its conferences, but the best of 
testimony of the value of the lecture room ? 
Further than that there are the numerous 
Gardeners’ Associations and tlreir ufinter 
meetings, papers, and discussions, all 
tending in the same direction, and display¬ 
ing the same good work. We could show 
still further, if need be, that very much that 
is really practical in gardening can be 
taught in the lecture room, but we are not 
called upon to furnish knowledge on this 
head for the benefit of a prejudiced scien- 
ist, the moral of whose letter to the Middle¬ 
sex County Council appears to be, don’t 
waste your money in enlightening the 
ignorant—send it to Kew. 
he Royal Horticultural Society.— 
Those of our readers who scrutinised 
the list of forthcoming Flower Shows, 
Horticultural Meetings, etc., which we 
published last w T eek, will not fail to have 
noticedthatthe Royal Horticultural Society 
will hold two meetings.in November. That 
is a new departure, and to be specially 
commended for two reasons : the first is 
that the meetings will fall in the first and 
third weeks in the month, and thus avoid 
clashing—as has been the case in the past 
—with the shows of the principal Chry¬ 
santhemum Societies, which are invariably' 
held in the second u’eek of the month ; and 
secondly, that the two meetings will afford 
more favourable opportunities to the 
raisers of Chrysanthemums, as well as of 
other plants in flower, and also of fruits, 
to exhibit their products for certificates. 
That this change will be thus recognised 
there can be no doubt, and we heartily 
rejoice over the alteration. 
Having regard to the abundance of fine 
Chrysanthemum varieties which home 
raisers now produce, we could wish to see 
the Council offering a gold medal to that 
raiser who succeeded in securing for the 
year the largest number of certificates of 
merit from the Floral Committee. Such 
an offer would very largely stimulate the 
showing of novelties at the Society’s meet¬ 
ings. Very wisely, we think, the Council 
has resolved to restrict their conference 
work to one meeting only'—that for Bego¬ 
nias and some Fruits in August next. It 
is a capital time of the y'ear for Chiswick, 
and whilst we ought to see the old gardens 
then in great beauty, so also should the 
Begonia display' prove to be one of excep¬ 
tional beauty and extent. Comparatively 
few persons have y'et seen a really grand 
show of Begonias. The plants have now 
become so popular for bedding purposes 
that it is to be hoped the Council will make 
a special effort to furnish a good supply of 
tubers for planting out at Chiswick in 
spring. 
The usual Temple Show will be held in 
May, towards the end of the month, and 
there can be no doubt but that this is now 
the most popular of all summer flower 
shows held in London. We hope ample 
provision will be made this y'ear for plant 
space, as last year the crowding necessi¬ 
tated by lack of room seriously' detracted 
from the merit of many beautiful exhibits. 
inter Work.— The few days of frost—- 
flung as it were into the midst of our 
winter season, just to remind us that after 
all Nature can exercise very adverse 
powers sometimes-—seems to have been as 
fleeting as it was severe, and it passed 
away as quickly as it came, leaving behind 
very little trace of its existence. Just 
when all who are working the land, whether 
in preparing soil for the reception of the 
coming season’s crops, in planting of all 
descriptions, in the formation of new 
gardens, or indeed in any kind of work in 
which the soil has to be stirred, find them¬ 
selves able to proceed when the host 
stopped operations, and even perhaps 
under somewhat improved conditions, as 
the frost left the ground drier and more 
pulverised than it was last month. 
Practically, all who wish to plant or to 
carry out alterations or improvements is 
gardens, are having a high time of it, for it 
is far from being common to find the winter 
open as is the case so far this season. Of 
course we cannot tell how soon frost may 
again hold the earth in its iron grip, perhaps 
ere this meets our readers’ gaze, perhaps 
not; but come what may, it would be very 
unwise to put off for a day what needs 
instant doing; and the present open 
weather cannot be too freely utilised. 
Nurserymen suffered appreciably last win¬ 
ter because of the very lengthened period 
of frost, and when the weather did break, 
it was too late to carry on their planting 
operations. They are getting some com¬ 
pensation now, and, we hope, are reaping 
the benefit of the open weather in many 
ways. 
We have been gratified to learn from 
many quarters that, so far, little harm 
appears to have resulted from the recent 
frost visitation. The excessive coating of 
grime which covered all vegetation, doubt¬ 
less acted as protection from injury in many 
cases, then we had no fierce cutting winds. 
However, it is rarely the first frost of a 
season that does harm; it is when the 
second and third time comes that injury 
results. Remembering how excessively 
wet was the autumn, and how saturated the 
soil, it would not have been a matter for 
surprise had some damage to vegetation 
been reported. Happily none has been 
mentioned yet. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At the first new 
year's meeting, on Tuesday next, Mr. W. Iggulden, 
Marston House Gardens. Frome, will read a paper 
on " Winter Vegetables," at the afternoon meeting. 
Mr. Ant. Roozen, the founder of the celebrated firm 
of Ant. Roozen & Sons, Bulb Growers, Haarlem, died 
on December i6th, aged 86 years. 
Flower Show Fixtures.—Croydon, July 6th ; Lee 
and Blackheath, July yth and 8th. 
Mr. A. Metheven has resigned the appointment he 
has held for the last two and a half years as gar¬ 
dener to the Baroness Rothschild, at the Pavilion de 
Pregny, Geneva, and will be succeeded we understand 
by Mr. Charles Davies, lately gardener at the Mote 
Park, Maidstone. 
Death of Mr. T. Statter.—But a few weeks ago a 
correspondent alluded in these columns to the illness 
of Mr. T. Statter of Stand Hall, Manchester, and we 
have now to record his death on Christmas Day. Mr. 
Statter was agent to the Earls of Derby for over 50 
years and only tookupthe cultivation of Orchids a few 
years ago. He, however, went into the matter with 
wonderful zest and was exceedingly successful in his 
purchases. At the time of his death he possessed a 
very valuable collection. 
The Clover and Grass Seed Trade. —Messrs. Hurst 
& Son have as usual been at some pains to get an 
accurate idea of the probable forthcoming supplies 
from every producing country and district, and point 
out in their annu.,1 circular that the coming season 
will have some exceptional features, and that as the 
undoubted scarcity of several articles will, in all 
probability, tend to the introduction of many spurious 
and worthless samples, buyers would do well to be 
extra cautious in their dealings, particularly with 
regard to white Clover and French Italian Ryegrass. 
Gardeners' Orphan Fund. — At a meeting of the 
committee held on Monday evening, the honorary 
secretary announced the receipt of £10 from the 
Reigate Chrysanthemum Society ; and the sum of 
£j 12s. nd., made up of various amounts collected 
by Mr. J. Hughes, of Birmingham, The Leeds Pax¬ 
ton Society, Mr. J. Lemmon, Chichester, Messrs. H. 
M. Pollett & Co., Bradford Gardeners' Mutual 
Improvement Society', and Mr. A. Read, Grittleton. 
The committee received a few more applications of 
candidates, and a list of twenty (not thirty' as pre¬ 
viously inadvertently stated) was passed, which will 
be issued to the subscribers at once. 
The Devon and Exeter Gardeners' Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association. — On Wednesday evening the paper 
read at the meeting of this association was on “The 
Culture of the Chrysanthemum by Amateurs." The 
other papers arranged for the ensuing session are as 
follows:—Jauuary 20th, “The Cultivation of the 
Peach and Nectarine, with Hints on Pruning," by Mr. 
A. George, Heavitree ; Feburary 3rd, “ How to Grow 
and Show Vegetables," by the Rev. A. H. Cruwy's ; 
Feburary 17th, “ The Cultivation of the Violet,” by 
Mr. J. T. Ebbutt, Winslade; March 2nd, " Alpine 
Plants,” by Mr. W. F. Meyer; March 16th, “The 
Culture of the Carnation by Amateurs,” by Mr. G. 
B. Lansdale: and March 30th, "Daffodils and 
Narcissi," by Mr. A. Hope. 
The Midland Counties Pansy Society,—The date is 
not y'et fixed for the next exhibition in 1892, but it 
will be in all probability June 8th, or gth, and will 
be announced with the schedule which will shortly 
be ready, and, liberal as the prizes were last year, 
they will be exceeded this, as so many extra prizes 
are offered, especially for new varieties of Pansies 
and Violas. In addition to liberal prizes in money, 
quite a dozen Silver Medals are presented by various 
friends and by the society. Additional classes are 
