644 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 8, 1895. 
machinery, and the keeping of it in proper 
working order will no doubt lighten the 
labour considerably, but we know that when 
a relatively large piece of old grass lawn 
with a thick undergrowth of moss, has to 
be mown on a warm summer’s day, it is 
uphill work, and we would prefer to do it 
with the old-fashioned scythe or long pole 
in the morning before breakfast, even if we 
should draw the line at getting up at 4 a.m. 
to do it in the good old way, as our fathers 
and grandfathers tell us. As far as 
personal health is concerned, the stuffy, 
moist atmosphere of stoves, warm Ferneries, 
and even Vineries with the temperature at 
8o Q or 90^ during the heat of the day, con¬ 
stitutes harder work because more injurious 
to the system and leaves the path open to 
colds, rheumatics, influenza, and other 
ailments of that kind to which human 
flesh is heir. Possibly there are many 
gardeners who could name several occupa¬ 
tions often identified with gardening, and 
which they would consider harder work 
than any of the kinds above mentioned. 
The more true they are, the more is the 
pity; but legitimate outdoor occupations 
are healthy and herein lie their redeem¬ 
ing features. 
-- 
Charles Crighton, foreman in the Gardens, Garvald, 
Dolphinton, N.B., has been appointed head 
gardener to J. D. Mitchell, Esq., Carwood, Biggar, 
Lanarkshire. 
Early Strawberries.—Mr. Thomas Adams, gar¬ 
dener, has this year had the honour of sending the 
first consignment of Strawberries to the London 
Market from Calstock, near Tavistock, Devon. He 
yesterday forwarded fourteen baskets of choice fruit. 
Apples from Australasia.—On the 18th May the 
“ Oceania ” arrived bringing 9,247 boxes of Apples 
from Sydney, 894 from Melbourne, and 130 from 
Adelaide, or a total of 10,275 boxes. 
Keeper of Botany at the British Museum.—On the 
retirement of Mr. William Carruthers through super¬ 
annuation from this important pest Mr. George 
Murray has been appointed to take his place. 
Combination for the Disposal of Fruit.—Early 
Strawberries are showing a good blossom. Mr. 
Hodge, Solicitor, Secretary of the Fruit Growers’ 
Association in the north, has opened up communica¬ 
tion with some seventy buyers all over the country 
with a view to ready disposal and best prices being 
obtained for the members. 
Fruit Prospects.—The prospects for all kinds of 
fruit in the neighbourhood of Tarvin, near Chester, 
are splendid. There is a great probability of the 
general fruit crop being the best for many years. 
Damsons are all set, and seem to have got clear of 
frost. Gooseberries are the only fruit that seem to 
have got caught. In a few places they are blighted 
with the green caterpillar. The Strawberry plants 
are in excellent condition, considering the hard 
winter. All that is needed now is a few hours of 
gentle rain. 
Park Place, Henley-on-Thames.—The annual meet¬ 
ing of past and present members of Park Place 
Cricket Club is fixed for Thursday, the 29th of 
August, when all of the gardeners who have passed 
through the mill there under the tutelage of Mr. 
Stanton will endeavour to be present, and will once 
more have an opportunity of renewing the friendships 
of days gone by. 
Raspberries in Kent-—The past winter has proved 
very destructive to Raspberry canes in various parts 
of the country, and a complaint comes from Kent 
that the promise of a crop is very poor. This may 
have been due to the peculiar nature of the past 
season, which was very wet, while November and 
December were unusually mild, thus preventing the 
canes from ripening properly. In Essex a similar 
complaint might be made, but that particular crop 
is not so largely grown as in Kent. 
Royal Botanic Society of London.—At a meeting of 
this Society, held on Saturday, Earl Annesley in the 
chair, Mrs. Dudley Buxton, Mr. Graham Niven, 
Mrs. Wethered. Mr. J. B. Roberts, and Mr. W. 
Martindale were elected Fellows of the Society, and 
the names of four others read for ballot at the next 
meeting. There was a collection of interesting 
orchids in flower from the Society's gardens ex¬ 
hibited, as well as a number of plant specimens from 
Paraguay. The Duke of Teck, President, took the 
chair at a subsequent meeting of tne Council to make 
arrangements for the promised visit of the Prince 
and Princess of Wales to the gardens on the occasion 
of the Children's Floral Fete on Wednesday, June 12. 
Frost in May.—A frost more severe and destructive 
in its character than that of Friday of the previous 
week visited the Ashford district of Kent during 
Monday night, the 20th ult. The early garden crops, 
where unprotected, have been completely destroyed, 
while extensive damage was done to the great fruit 
plantations in the district. The frost was as severe 
as the memorable one in May of last year. The 
grub is not the only thing from which damage is to 
be expected. Any morning gardeners may rise to 
find that a large proportion of their fruit has been 
killed by the frost. 
Royal Gardeners Orphan Fund. —At a meeting of the 
Executive Committee held on the 31st ult., Mr. W. 
Marshall in the chair, the following special receipts 
were announced as having been received since the 
previous meeting :—Mr. John Wills, birthday gift 
£10 103., making up the sum of fifty guineas promised 
five years ago ; Concert at Shackleford, per Mr. G. 
B.Baskett, £&\ Messrs. JohnWaterer& Sons, ios.6d.; 
and Mr. W. Evans, Wharfedale, Leeds, 5s. The 
committee also received notification of the fact that 
the late Mr. George Taber of Rivenhall, Essex, had 
left as a legacy to the fund four £25 shares in 
Messrs. Cooper, Taber & Co. Limited, Ssed 
Merchants, Southwark Street, S.E. 
Winter Moth in the Evesham District-—Local 
market gardeners have of late been directing their 
attention to the fruit trees, upon which the grub has 
appeared. A little time back gardeners were con¬ 
gratulating themselves on the fact that no blight of 
any sort had been seen in the trees, but the cater¬ 
pillar may be depended upon to give some signs of 
existence each year. The grub is not so numerous 
in the Abbey gardens as in other parts. In the 
neighbourhood of Knowle Hill the trees are badly 
attacked. The trees have been shaken (with but 
little effect), and Paris green, soap and water, 
hellebore, carbolic acid, London purple, and quassia 
have been used. These things are found destructive 
to the enemy, but there is always the danger of 
injury to the foliage. 
A Bermuda Lily question.—It is now well known 
in this country that Lilium longiflorum eximium, 
best known in the trade as L. Harrisii, is extensively 
grown in the Bermuda Islands. One extensive 
grower there has recently adopted the habit of cutting 
the stems when in flower and sending them to the 
United States to be put on the market ascut flowers. 
The bulb growers there were naturally indignant, 
because it interfered with the sale of the flowers from 
home grown bulbs, reducing the price to be obtained 
from them. The florists also maintain that bulbs 
from which the stems have thus been cut in full 
growth must be deteriorated by the practice, and they 
put it plainly to the grower that he must ultimately 
spoil his own market for the bulbs. The florists have 
been trying to form a syndicate of bulb growers to 
counteract the influence and alleged injury to their 
interests caused by the offending one. The latter, 
however, went to the United States and used the 
contemplated combination as a means to further his 
own ends. Whatever may come of this movement 
remains to be seen. 
Chrysanthemums in the Temple Gardens.-Lovers 
of the Chrysanthemum will receive with regret the 
announcement of the decision of the Benchers of 
the Inner Temple to break a custom which has con¬ 
tinued for a long number of years by abandoning 
the popular November show of the Japanese flowers. 
There is, however, a suggestion that some pro¬ 
fessional grower may be invited to fill the gap by 
bringing to the Temple Gardens a choice array of 
blooms for exhibition, but no plants will be forth¬ 
coming from the greenhouses in charge of Mr. 
Newton, which are now filled with Pelargoniums. 
The great frost destroyed nearly 3,000 promising 
Chrysanthemums, but these might have been 
replaced. 
Horticultural Congress at Paris —The International 
Horticultural Congress sitting at Paris has passed a 
resolution of very pleasant significance to all the 
world. Botanists and nurserymen know too well 
that the countries of Europe represented at the Berne 
International Convention some years ago bound 
themselves to certain rules for the inspection of 
plants arriving at port or on the frontier, which in 
effect have not only obstructed trade, but impeded 
science. The object was and is to blot out the Phyl¬ 
loxera. It has not been attained, but the supporters 
of the measure may argue reasonably enough that 
the fatal disease would have spread far more widely 
had no such precautions been taken. The resolution 
of the Congress, which was passed unanimously, 
demands a repeal of this system ; moreover, it 
appears that the Italian Government has already 
made proposals to the same effect. We may take it, 
then, that the Phylloxera is vanquished. International 
horticulturists might be willing to chance some smal 
danger of infection, with the object of repealing a 
law which causes them such inconvenience and loss ; 
but the Italian Government is vitally interested in 
the exclusion of the Phylloxera. It would certainly 
not move if there were any risk at all. One might 
think that Great Britain had no concern in this 
matter. But the resolution will make a stir in South 
Africa and Australia. The Custom House regula¬ 
tions there have been more stringent even than in 
Europe, and we fear that the colonists will not easily 
be persuaded that the danger is past. 
Bournemouth Botanical Society.—The monthly 
meeting in connection with this Society was held on 
Tuesday at the C.E.W.M.U.s room, Wootton 
Gaidens. Mr. Greves presided. The lecture was 
given by the President, the Rev. E. Linton, on 
“ Natural Hybrids,” illustrated by British specimens. 
The lecturer began by explaining what he meant by 
” natural hybrids," and how their production was 
related to the artificial way performed by gardeners. 
Formerly the natural process of hybridism was not 
believed in by botanists, but its truth had of late 
years been firmly established ; so much so that many 
plants which were considered to form new varieties 
had now been found to be hybrids between two 
parent plants. The lecturer illustrated his remarks 
by the exhibition of some beautifully-dried specimens 
arranged in triplets so as to show the two parent 
plants with the hybrid, which had resulted from 
their cross-fertilisation. He described various 
families which were very fertile in hybrids, such as 
the Willow, the Primrose, etc., while others were de¬ 
scribed as comparatively barren, such as the Thistle, 
the Heath, etc. The lecture was concluded by a few 
general remarks on the effect of cross-fertilisation in 
the production of hybrids and of the peculiarities 
of hybrids themselves. A hearty vote of thanks 
was unanimously offered to the lecturer for his most 
interesting paper, and the members dispersed, after 
arranging a botanising expedition to the Christ¬ 
church meadows, to take place on Wednesday after¬ 
noon, May 29th. 
New Public Gardens for Woolwich.—The cere¬ 
mony of throwing open the new Public Gardens at 
Woolwich, into which St. Mary’s Churchyard have 
been turned, was performed on Friday last, May 
31st, by the Duchess of Fife. The scheme, which 
has now been carried to a successful conclusion, has 
been cn foot for a number of years; for as far back 
as the year 1884 the Metropolitan Public Gardens 
Association furnished a plan for the laying out of a 
portion of the ground, but owing to some hitch in 
the proceedings the work was not then commenced, 
although the Association offered to bear the expenses 
of the necessary labour. At the close of the year 
1892, Lord Meath, then Chairman cf the Associa¬ 
tion, received a letter from Mr. J. Passmore 
Edwards, in which the latter gentleman generously 
offered to furnish the money necessary to defray the 
expenses of the laying out of the grounds. Needless 
to say this offer was gratefully accepted, and after 
the usual legal formalities were gone through the 
work was put in hand, with the result that the 
people of Woolwich have now a tastefully laid out 
public promenade, some four acres in extent, from 
which exceptionally fine views of the surrounding 
country, with the river and the shipping can be 
obtained. From first to last the work has cost about 
£1,200. The soil of the Churchyard is naturally com¬ 
posed of sand, necessitating the importation of con¬ 
siderable quantities of fresh material to mix with 
it, likewise to fill up the numerous holes which also 
abounded. Although the Metropolitan Public Gar¬ 
dens Association has only been in existence for about 
