498 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 7, 1894. 
positions which remove .them somewhat 
from the exhibits and are therefore isolated, 
having more, but far from absolute privacy. 
Their tables are in a most inconvenient 
place, where there is constant locomotion, 
and it is easy to understand that this leads 
to annoyance, and all that is said at the 
table, let it be ever so much in confidence, 
can be overheard. Certainly a more retired 
place should be and could easily be found 
for the Orchid Committee. 
With respect to the complaint that 
members of the Committee seemed to show 
disrespect to the chairman by talking to 
each other rather than attending to their 
duties, that is a matter entirely for the 
Committee itself. It is most obvious that 
duty should always have the first 
consideration. The remarkable abun¬ 
dance of Orchids now seen at all the 
Society’s meetings makes the duties of 
the Orchid Committee considerable and 
onerous, indeed, members at certain 
seasons usually have a big job before 
them when they sit down to the table. 
It is therefore indeed surprising, assuming 
they are practical men of business, as they 
should be, that they should fail to be atten¬ 
tive and deliberative. 
-- 
Royal Horticulkjral Society.—The next meeting of 
the Society will take place in the Drill Hall, James 
Street, Westminster, on April loth, when special 
prizes will be offered for Daffodils. At 3 p.m. the 
Rev. G. H. Engleheart will deliver a lecture on 
“ Hybrid Narcissi. " 
Earwigs.—At the last meeting of the Scientific 
Committee a letter was read as follows:—"I have 
been pestered with earwigs, which bore through 
Peaches, Apricots, and Nectarines to get at the 
stone, defiling the fruit, and turning it of a greenish- 
blue colour, making it unfit for eating.” With a 
view to obviate such mischief in the coming season, 
the correspondent now sought advice, he having 
tried the usual traps without avail. It was suggested 
that slices of Carrot or Potato be placed in the 
hollow Bean-stalks used as traps, and that the walls 
be looked to and '' pointed.” 
The Snail Holdings Act.—There is considerable 
interest bjing taken in Cornwall just nnw in regard 
to the operation of this Act, now that the County 
Council has set the ball rolling. Already, under the 
Allotments Act, a large number of persons are 
cultivators of gardens, thus adding to the produc¬ 
tion of vegetables and flowers for which Cornwall 
is so celebrated, but whe.:her, under the Small 
Holdings Act, these cultivators will see their way 
clear to further embarkation remains pretty well a 
question dependent upon the liberality of the land- 
owners. There is, perhaps, no county in England 
where there is more waste land than Cornwall, and 
it is to this that attention should first of all be paid. 
The Orchid Committee.—The Secretary of the 
Royal Horticultural Society writes;—"In writing 
to inform you that Mr. Veitch has consented to con¬ 
tinue to occupy the chair at the Orchid Committee, 
may I be allowed to add that the Council of the 
Society are most wishful to do all in their power to 
promote the well-being of the committee. The 
difficulties arising from insufficient space will be met 
as far as existing circumstances allow. Greater table 
accommodation has been ordered, and in future all 
‘ strangers ’ (persons not belonging to the committee 
or being ofiicers of it) will be directed to withdraw 
absolutely from that side of the hall. These things 
the Council can do, and will, but with the difficulties 
arising from the personal and private conversation 
between members of the committee, the comparison 
and inspection of blooms, etc., not under the 
immediate attention of the committee on these 
matters, the Council feel themselves powerless, 
except to appeal to the general good sense and kind 
feeling of all the members of the committee, asking 
them without any distinction of persons to be so< 
kind as to defer all such more or less desultory con¬ 
versation untU the whole of the committee’s work 
shall be finished ; and this appeal they are confident 
they will not make in vain.” 
Ealing Gardeners’ Society.—At the winding up of 
the sixth session, the members of the Ealing and 
District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society 
dined together in the Victoria Hall, Ealing, on the 
3rd inst. There was a large attendance of members 
with some visitors, and in the unavoidable absence 
of the Chairman, G. F. Nixon, Esq., the duties of the 
office were carried out by Mr. Green, a member of 
the Ealing Local Board, who in the course of the 
evening distributed the prizes gained by members 
in the course of the year. A large number of the 
prizes consisted of valuable books bearing upon the 
profession of gardening. The largest number of 
marks for exhibits during the session was made by 
Mr. W. Roberts, who received three books as the 
first prize. Mr. J. Baird was second; Mr. Rickerd, 
third; Mr. Cox, fourth ; and Mr. Woods, fifth. 
Special Certificates \yere awarded to certain mem¬ 
bers for unusually fine or interesting exhibits, 
including Mr. H. W. Whittaker, Mr. Baird, Mr. C. 
B. Green, and Mr. W. J. Simpson. Mr. Thos. 
Alford took the first aw'ard for an essay on ” The 
Poinsettia,” Mr. Chas. Collet coming in second, 
and Mr. Geo. Pentney third. Mr. C. F. Harding 
had the best essay on British Ferns, and Mr. Chas. 
Collet was second. Mr. C. F. Harding again came 
to the front for an essay on the cultivation of the 
Tomato. He was followed by Mr. Geo. Pentney. 
Some prizes were also offered for two dishes of 
Apples, and Mr. C. Long xvas the most successful 
competitor. A special testimonial was accorded to 
Mr. A. Pentney, the late Secretary, for his active 
and excellent services in keeping the Society up to 
its present efficiency and high standard. A very- 
enjoyable and social evening was spent. 
The Broccoli season in the West. —Market gardeners 
in the West have virtually completed their season 
so far as Broccoli is concerned, and on reviewing 
the situation they find that, as regards profit, it has 
been far from a paying one. These adverse 
circumstances are to be accounted for in that 
about Christmas, the sharp frosts told against the 
full growth of the plants, and it is said that nearly 
one half of them were spoilt. Another cause of 
disatisfaction is the price paid by the buyers, as in 
many instances not more than four shillings has 
been returned for a crate of some six dozen Broccoli, 
and instances are on record where the figure has 
been as low as three shillings. We are told that 
some of the Broccoli sent has been very inferior 
—a fact which has told upon the more honest 
market gardeners, and in other cases the crates 
have been very irregularly packed—matters which 
will probably be discussed by the West Cornwall 
Alarket Gardeners’ Association at an early date, in 
order to bring about a more uniform standard for 
next season. Potato crops in Cornwall are very 
forward, and the promise of a good season are 
paramount on every hand. 
Earliness of the Season in Scotland.— A Selkirk 
correspondent of 7 he Scotsman writes :—" As evidence 
of the earliness of the season, you may think the 
following facts worth publishing : Since the year 
1861 I have kept note of the dates on which leaves 
have first appeared on certain trees around this 
house, among others of a common Plane or Sycamore 
{.Acer pseudo-platanus), standing in an exposed 
situation, 520 ft. above sea level. First leaves 
appeared on this tree yesterday, March 29th. 
Taking the average of the last thirty-three years, I 
find that the tree as a rule comes into leaf at the 
end of the third week of April. Last year’s first 
leaves showed on April 8th, and the earliest date in 
its record is April 3rd, 1871. Thus the tree is this 
year fully three weeks in advance of its average and 
five days ahead of its earliest previously recorded 
date. In 1888 the tree referred to lagged in its first 
leaves until May ist, and in i8gi until May loth. 
In this quarter other trees, shrubs, and flowers are 
equally far advanced with the Plane in question ; 
and while there is little wisdom in indulging in 
confident meteorological prediction either in the 
natural or in the political sphere, surely we may 
reasonably anticipate for the present year a renewal 
of last year’s favourable summer and autumn 
weather.” 
The Season and the Rainfall.—There is a striking 
similarity between the present weather and that 
experienced at the same time last year, and this, says 
the Daily Neivs, is rapidly giving rise to serious 
apprehensions as to the possibility of another long 
drought. Since the middle of last month, no appre¬ 
ciable quantity of rain has fallen in any part of the 
United Kingdom. In London as well as in some 
other parts of England, a slight sprinkling has 
occurred at times during the past three days, but the 
quantity has been barely sufficient to damp the 
ground, and as the showers have been interspersed 
with hot sunshine, their value has been infinitesi¬ 
mally small. A speedy change would undoubtedly 
be welcome, not only in the interests of the farmer, 
but also for the replenishment of the -wells and 
springs, which are certainly not in a condition to 
undergo another serious drought. The rainfall of 
the past winter was unusually frequent, but, so far 
as England was concerned, the aggregate amount 
was not large, and in many parts of our eastern and 
midland counties it was actually less than the 
average. Last me nth there was a deficiency over 
nearly the whole kingdom, and again more especially 
in the eastern parts of England, where the quantity 
varied from about one-half to about two-thirds of 
the normal. In many places there has been, in fact, 
a continued deficiency of rain ever since the long 
drought of last spring. The temperature registered 
over England of late has, moreover, been unusually 
high for the time of year, the thermometer in many 
cases rising above 65 degrees, and in some instances 
reaching 70 degrees. 
Smilax Argyrea.—-As a rule the species of Smilax to 
be seen in their best form must have plentyof head room 
and be allowed to run up a pillar or rafter. That under 
notice is also a climber, but may be grown as a 
stove plant by training the stems in some dwarf 
form so as to keep them within due bounds. The 
leaves are notable for their great length as compared 
with those of hardy and half hardy species. When 
the plants attain some size the leaves vary from 3 in. 
to 6 in. in length, and are oblong, three-ribbed, and 
light green, irregularly blotched with silvery-gray. 
It is a native of the warmer regions of South 
America, and is therefore amenable for cultivation 
as a stove plant. It is comparatively new, and very 
little known in this country as yet, but may be seen 
with Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill. 
--*•- 
THE PROPOSED AUTUMN FRUIT 
SHOW. 
In thanking you for the notice which you gave 
last week of the proposed renewal of the Great 
Autumn Fruit Show at the Crystal Palace, may I 
be allowed to draw your readers’ attention to the 
subject. 
I—There is, I believe, no such place in the world 
so suitable for a great fruit show as the Crystal 
Palace. There space and light, the two great 
desiderata, are practically unlimited. 
II. —Other shows have come and gone, but until 
1892 the Palace show never failed, and was unani¬ 
mously regarded as the Great Fruit event of each year 
III. —TheR. H. S. has offered, with the consent 
and co-operation of the Palace authorities, to revive 
this Autumn Fruit Show, if those interested in 
Fruit growing in this country will manifest that 
interest by practical support. 
lA'. (a). —The Palace offer £100 towards the 
prizes, undertake the advertising, will lend 
their staging, and will " pass ” all Fellows' 
tickets of the Society. 
(b) The Society will undertake the w-hole of the 
correspondence, work, and labour of the 
show, and all further pecuniar)- and other 
responsibility (the total cost cannot be far 
short of ;^40o), except 
(c) A sum of £100 towards the prizes which 
they ask in subscriptions from the public as 
a proof and earnest of the practical interest 
they feel in the matter, this £100 to be 
promised on or before Tuesday, April loth, 
at noon, w hen a definite decision of whether 
to hold the show or not has to be arrived 
at. 
V. —The show (if it be held) will not be a men 
show, but advantage will be taken of it to gather 
together representative collections of hardy English 
fruits, and public lectures will be given on tw-o days 
of the show on the subject concerned. 
VI. —This is how the matter stands at present. It 
rests entirely with growers of fruit trees and of 
fruit to say whether the show shall or shall not be 
revived, and this they will say by their promised or 
withheld subscriptions. 
The Society and Palace Authorities are each (as 
it seems to me) making a liberal offer to those 
interested in fruit growing in this country, and if 
they are unwilling to accept it at the cost of £t.oo 
worth of subscriptions gathered from all concerned, 
I fear it will be a long while before an offer of 
similar liberality will be made.— IF. IFiVAs, Sec. 
R H S., 117, Victoria Street, S. IF. 
