628 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 1, 1895. 
before, and created considerable interest 
amongst lovers of that class of plants. Nor 
can we overlook the filmy Ferns. Herb¬ 
aceous plants were present in great quanti¬ 
ties, nor do we consider them overdone, 
when we bear in mind the large section of 
the community which can grow them, and 
to whose pleasure they administer. An 
interesting acquisition and addition to this 
class of plants was the new Incarvillea 
Delavayi, from China, flowered and ex¬ 
hibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence, and said 
to be perfectly hardy in this country. The 
great increase of the old florists’ Tulips is 
remarkable, and the increasing interest in 
Pansies and Violas is another sign of our 
times. The floral decorations were finer 
and altogether better displayed than hither¬ 
to ; but we did not see any of the artificial 
flowers which a reporter declared were so 
like real ones that he detected people 
smelling them by mistake ; he should have 
added that they were visited by swarms of 
bees! Fruit and vegetables showed an 
advancement, the Nectarines being par¬ 
ticularly fine. The vegetables, but par¬ 
ticularly the Peas, Tomatos, and Cucum¬ 
bers growing in pots, and fit for use, 
were unusual for this early period of the 
year. 
- .! «■ -- 
Mr. George Ormiston, late of Gatton Park, Reigate, 
has been engaged as gardener and forester to the 
Rt. Hon. Lord Montagu, Ditton Park, Slough. 
Mr. James Inglis, foreman in the gardens of Sir 
Thomas Erskine, Bart., Cambo House, Fife, has 
been appointed gardener to Major Taubman, The 
Nunnery, Douglas, Isle of Man. 
Mr. Alexander Farquhar, Craigerock Castle, 
Midlothian, has been engaged as gardener to R. 
Graham Murray, Esq., M.P., Stenton, Dunkeld. 
Royal Botanic Society of London.—Professor George 
Henslow, on Friday, the 24th ult., gave the first of 
two lectures, at the Gardens, Regent’s Park, upon 
" The Origin of our Cultivated Vegetables.” 
A Royal Appointment.—We have much pleasure in 
announcing that the Lord Steward has appointed 
Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Victoria and Paradise 
Nurseries, Upper Holloway, Nurserymen and Seeds¬ 
men to Her Majesty the Queen. The warrant 
conferring the appointment is dated May 8th, 1895. 
Cricket: Hurst & Son v. Hoddesdon C.C. —A cricket 
match was played between these teams on the 
ground of the Hoddesdon Club on Saturday last, 
which resulted in a win for the Seedsmen. One 
innings each were played, the score being, Hurst 
& Son, 116, and Hoddesdon 76. For the winners 
Mr. Simpson made the capital score of 67. 
International Horticultural Conference in Paris.— 
The International Horticultural Conference was 
opened in Paris on Saturday. Among the foreign 
delegates invited to join the officers of the congress 
as secretaries was Mr. F. W. Moore, Curator of the 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. Resolu¬ 
tions were unanimously adopted giving expression 
to the following wishes:—1. ‘‘That the French 
Government should associate itself with the request 
addressed by the Italian Government to the Swiss 
Confederation with a view to obtaining the revision 
of the Berne International Convention, and the 
free circulation between all countries signatory to 
the convention of all vegetables and vines 
accompanied by a certificate of origin ; ” 2. “That 
the postal administration should return to the old 
reduced tariff, of which periodical publications on 
horticulture have hitherto had the advantage.” 
National Go-operative Flower Show.—The Co-opera¬ 
tive Flower Show, which has grown from the 
smallest of beginnings into the proud position of 
being the largest of the year, is not likely to lose its 
attractiveness in 1895. The schedule of the tenth 
show just issued, repeats the offer of about 800 
prizes, including £^00 in cash, many bronze, silver 
and gold medals, special awards and consolation 
chances. Most of the prizes are, as usual, offered 
for the produce of workmen’s gardens and labourers' 
allotments, each section of the Kingdom having 
separate offers, so that exhibitors in the North will 
not have to compete with South, East, West, or 
Midlands. The Council of the Agricultural and 
Horticultural Association seeks this year to enlist 
art students in the improvement of town gardens, by 
offering prizes of £10 for designs of the “Workman's 
Garden of Taste,” contrasted with the“Workman’s 
Garden Run to Waste.” The competition designs 
are to be exhibited at the Crystal Palace on the 
23rd and 24th August, when the Flower Show takes 
place, in conjunction with the Great National Co¬ 
operative Festival. Schedules of the show can be 
obtained without charge from Edwd. Owen Greening, 
the Hon. Sec., 3, Agar Street, Strand, W. C. 
Errata.—We regret to say that, owing to a mistake 
in last week’s issue, Mr. H. B. May, was credited with 
contributiug the two fine groups of Carnation Uriah 
Pike which appeared in tent number two and which 
really came from Mr. G. May of Teddington. A 
similar error resulted in the group of pot Roses— 
staged by Messrs. Jackman & Sons, Woking Nursery, 
next to Messrs. F. Sander & Co.'s exhibit of new 
plants—being attributed to the latter firm instead of 
to their rightful contributors. 
Early Strawberries in Cornwall. —With a con¬ 
tinuance of favourable weather the Strawberry crop 
in the Tamar Valley will be early and plentiful this 
season. Several ripe fruit were picked by Mr. 
Joseph Start, of Kelly Gardens, Calstock, on 20th 
May. Children attending Geoffrey’s Endowed School, 
Landrake, gathered several bunches of fine wild 
Strawberries from the hedges around the village last 
week, and on Sunday wild lruit quite ripe were 
picked on the railway between Probus and Truro. 
Shirley Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association. 
—A meeting was held at the Parish Room, Shirley, 
Southampton, on the 20th inst., when the President, 
W. F. G. Spranger, Esq., presided over a good atten¬ 
dance of the members. Mr. J. Jones, The Gardens, 
Terrace House, Polygon, Southampton, read a 
paper on the " Cultivation of the Melon,” and there 
was a lively discussion on the various points of 
culture recommended. A question arose as to the 
desirability of raising plants from seed two or more 
years old, it being asserted that such plants were 
less vigorous in growth, but more fruitful than plants 
grown from quite new seed. A member said he had 
seen a gardener who always made it a practice to 
carry his Cucumber seed in his waistcoat pocket 
for six months, with the same object in view, and 
another member has seen the same practice carried 
out, but no one present could vouch for the useful¬ 
ness of the practice. A hearty vote of thanks was 
accorded Mr. Jones for his interesting paper, and, in 
replying, Mr. Jones addressed a few words to the 
younger members of the Association on the value of 
putting their ideas and practice into writing, and 
recommended that prizes be given for essays on a 
given subject, to be competed for by the younger 
members. The proposal will receive consideration 
before the next half session. There was a fine dis¬ 
play of cut blooms of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and 
hardy flowering shrubs sent by Mr. W. H. Rogers, 
J.P., Red Lodge Nursery. Cut blooms and hardy 
perennials from Mr. B. Ladhams, and twenty-four 
varieties of cut blooms and hardy flowers from Mr. 
J. E. Wilcox, gardener to Col. W. S. Sinkins. A 
vote of thanks to the exhibitors closed the pro¬ 
ceedings. 
Proposed Battle of Flowers. —Hastings seems to be 
in a fair way of emulating the splendid success 
which Eastbourne achieved in its Battle of Flowers. 
The approval and co-operation of the Town Council 
have been secured, the borough officials have heartily 
expressed their wish to give all possible assistance 
in the arrangements, a strong and influential Com¬ 
mittee has been formed, and everything promises to 
go well. In an affair of this kind the weather is of 
course an all-important factor, and in the strange 
hotch-potch, which, for want of a better name is 
termed the English climate, no reliance can be 
placed on the state of the elements at any given 
period. But this will not discourage the stout¬ 
hearted Hastings folk in their endeavour to provide 
a great summer attraction for visitors, and even if they 
should be unfortunate enough to experience a wet day 
or two, they have before them the example of East¬ 
bourne, which triumphed over the most unpromising 
circumstances in regard to weather. As far as money 
is concerned, the success of the fete week seems to 
be almost assured. Very liberal promises of support 
were received from a number of gentlemen at the 
meeting on the 21st ult., and if the general body of 
townspeople rise proportionately well to the occasion 
there need be no fear of the project failing for want 
of funds. Equally satisfactory were the offers made 
by others to provide decorated carriages and mother 
ways add to the attractiveness of the show. 
Altogether, the outlook is distinctly encouraging, and 
Hastings promises to be not far behind her younger 
rival. 
Linnean Society.—The anniversary dinner of the 
Linnean Society of London took place last night at 
the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross. Mr. C. B. Clarke, 
the President, occupied the chair, and the company 
included the Marquis of Ripon, Sir Charles Wilson, 
Sir Hugh Low, Sir Joseph Lister, Sir Henry Collett, 
Professor Judge, Dr. St. George Mivart, Dr. John 
Anderson, Professor Charles Stewart, Mr. Carruthers, 
Mr. F. Crisp, Mr. B. Daydon Jackson, Mr. W. Percy 
Sladen, Mr. J. E. Harting, Colonel F. Henderson, 
Professor G. B. Howe, Sir James G. Maitland, Mr. 
W. Thistleton Dyer, Dr. D. H. Scott, Professor 
J. B. Farmer, Dr. D. Morris, Dr. John Lowe, Mr. 
A. D. Michael, Dr. John Murray, Mr. H. N. Ridley, 
Mr. George Murray, Dr. James Oliver, Mr. H. 
Monckton, Mr. H. Druce, Mr Arthur Lister, Mr. 
Thomas Christy, Mr. John Young, and Mr. J. C. 
Galton.—Responding to the toast of “ The Colonies," 
proposed by Sir Hugh Low, the Marquis of Ripon said 
he could speak as a member of the Society of very long 
standing, though as one who had been able to find 
little time of late for the scientific pursuits -which 
had possessed so powerful an attraction for him in 
days gone by. Addressing the members of the 
Linnean Society, he could not forbear a reference to 
the valuable work that Mr. Thiselton Dyer had done 
by introducing new plants into the Colonies, and by 
developing the cultivation of those that naturally 
belonged to them. Some ten or more years ago 
China supplied 66 per cent, of the tea consumed by 
the world, whereas now it only supplied 12 per cent. 
Thanks to the exertions of men of science, and 
particularly of those associated with Kew, India, 
and Ceylon had displaced China to that extent. The 
development of Cinchona afforded another example 
of the valuable results of science, and for his part he 
might mention that he was never without quinine, 
and that he had consequently been able to keep 
influenza at bay. (Laughter and applause.)—Pro¬ 
posing “ The Board of Agriculture,” Mr. Thiselton 
Dyer spoke of the excellent results which, thanks to 
care, skill, and science, attended the cultivation of 
wheat in this ^country, and expressed the confident 
opinion that agriculturists, though, of course, they 
could not contend against inexorable economic laws, 
would triumph in the end.—Sir C. Wilson responded. 
—Sir J. Lister acknowledged the toast of "The 
Royal Society,” and Mr. Percy Sladen proposed 
“ The Geological Society,” a toast with which was 
coupled the name of Professor Judd. 
-- 1 — - 
BEGONIAS AT FOREST 
HILL. 
Tuberous Begonias are again in full swing,in fact they 
have been flowering for weeks past in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, and we were 
surprised that they did not put in an appearance at 
the Temple Show last week. Their exhibits for the 
past seven years have always occupied a consider¬ 
able amount of space in the large marquee and the 
tents in the Inner Temple Gardens, independently 
of all the other London shows. The exhibits that 
ought to have turned up on the occasion mentioned 
were the Begonias, Caladiums, Gloxinias, Strqpto- 
carpus and fine foliage plants generally. The 
collection of Caladiums is very extensive and includes 
such standard exhibition sorts as Baron Adolphe de 
Rothschild, Candidum, Charlemagne, Barrone James 
de Rothschild, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Duchess of 
Portland, Gaspard Crayer, Mithridate, Triomphe de 
l’Exposition, Mrs. Harry Veitch, Ornatum, Clio and 
others, besides a host of fancy or decorative sorts 
that may be utilised in various ways. Our object 
in going to Forest Hill, however, was to see the 
Begonias and ncte the new varieties that come to 
light annually. Of course the new varieties flowering 
now are seedlings selected from last year’s sowing 
from the open ground in most cases, and which 
require a second trial in pots to fully test their 
capabilities, and show their qualifications for public 
