January 15, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
309 
The Lost Kew Pelicans have been replaced by 
two others, now in the pond by the Palmhouse or its 
immediate vicinity, so that visitors are again com¬ 
forted. 
Mr. Harry Denney, one of the under-gardeners to 
the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey, recently 
committed suicide by hanging himself in a storeroom 
near his bedroom. He suffered acutely from indi¬ 
gestion. 
Death of M. Jean Linden.—As we were going to 
press on Wednesday last we were grieved to hear 
of the death of M. Jean Linden, the deputy ad¬ 
ministrator of *' L’Horticulture Internationale,” 
Societe Anonyme, Parc Leopold, Brussels, who died 
peacefully that morning. He was widely known 
throughout the civilised world for his connection 
with Orchids. 
The Crystal Palace —There is still some doubt as 
to the ultimate fate of this huge glass structure ; and 
the Daily Chronicle would like to see it bought out 
and given to the public as a national place of recrea¬ 
tion for ever. With this object in view our energetic 
contemporary some time ago issued some questions 
to several London and suburban corporate bodies in 
order to obtain a plebiscite. The questions were 
(i) " Do you favour the purchase of the Crystal 
Palace by public authorities as a public pleasure 
ground and a place for recreation ?” (2) " Would you 
support a contribution from the body with which 
you are connected ? ” To these questions there were 
only 62 definite noes. Many replied •• yes ” to the 
first question, but " no ” to the second, thus showing 
how far their sympathy went. From Hackney came 
28 ayes, and 3 noes; Islington, 23 ayes, 1 no; Ken¬ 
sington, 18 ayes, 8 noes; Shoreditch, 23 ayes, 
3 noes; St. Pancras, 21 ayes, 1 no; Marylebone, 
15 ayes, 7 noes; Fulham, 19 ayes, 4 noes; St. 
George’s, Hanover Square, 1 r ayes, 4 noes ; West¬ 
minster, 10 ayes, 3 noes; Hampstead, n ayes, 
5 noes; Stoke Newington, 9 ayes, 3 noes; Padding¬ 
ton, 11 ayes; St. Luke’s, 9 ayes, 2 noes; and Mile 
End, 11 ayes, 3 noes. Many gave affirmative replies 
with qualifications, the most notable of which was 
that if the Crystal Palace were purchased for South 
London, the Alexandra Palace should be given in the 
same way to North London. 
Dinner and Presentation at Cheltenham.— On Friday 
the 7th inst. about seventy of the employees of Mr, 
James Cypher, of the Queen’s Road Nurseries, 
Cheltenham, were entertained by him to a 
sumptuous dinner, prepared on the premises and 
served in one of the glasshouses, which had been 
transformed into a temporary dining room. Mr. 
Cypher presided and was supported by Mrs. and 
Miss Cypher, Mr. W. J. Cypher (vice-chairman), 
Mr. and Mrs. John Cypher, Mr. and Mrs. Frank 
Cypher, Messrs. Aston, Keylock, Weaving, Cull, and 
others. The dinner was partly meant to celebrate 
Mi;. Cypher’s seventieth birthday, and the post¬ 
prandial speeches and proceedings testified to the 
good feeling existing between employer and 
employed. After the usual loyal toasts, *' the Firm " 
was proposed and received with much enthusiasm. 
" The Healths ” of Mr. Keylock, representing the in¬ 
door department, and of Mr. Wallace in a similar 
capacity in the outdoor department, were heartily 
received in connection with two presentations that 
were made. Mrs. Cypher was made the recipient of 
a silver-plated cheese-dish and cover, bearing the in¬ 
scription, "Presented to Mrs. J. Cypher by the 
indoor staff of the nursery, January 7th, 1898.” Miss 
Cypher received a massive pair of alabastar vases 
accompanied by a card bearing the inscription, 
" Presented to Miss Cypher as a mark of respect by 
the outside staff, January 7th, 1898.” The presenta¬ 
tions were made by Mr. W. J. Cypher on behalf of 
the men. He considered it an appropriate time at 
which to make the presentation to Mrs. Cypher, at 
whose hands, as well as from Mr. Cypher they had 
received many acts of kindness ; and he had great 
pleasure in handing her the token of respect from 
the staff. Miss Cypher was similarly addressed 
amidst the cheers of the employees. Mr. Cypher 
responded for both. He also reminded his audience 
of the present of an easy chair he had received from 
them some time previously, which he greatly appre¬ 
ciated. Vocal and instrumental music enlivened the 
proceedings, and a very enjoyable evening was 
spent. 
White and Pink Cbver Blossoms, when chopped up 
finely and served with pure cream, are reputed to 
furnish a delicious salad. 
Erratum. —At p. 294 in the forty-third line from 
the top of the third column, for " Hypericum 
perforatum” read "Hypericum calycinum.” This 
may be described as merely a lapsus pennae. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms.—The sale of Odonto- 
glossum crispum at the Sale Rooms of Messrs. 
Protheroe and Morris, Cheapside.on the 7th inst. was 
the largest and most successful that has taken place 
for a long time. The importation was extensive, and 
the pseudobulbs were in excellent condition. There 
was a large attendance of,keen buyers, and the sale 
was calculated to realise somewhere between £1,000 
and £2,000. A|grand piece realised £2 15s. ; while 
another brought £2 10s. From 20s. to 25s. were 
common prices. The rank and file of pieces of 
moderate size averaged about 10s. each. The impor¬ 
tation came from a good district for this species, so 
that buyers entertain hopes of many fine varieties 
when the plants come into bloom. An established 
price of O. crispum roseum was secured for 30 gs. ; 
and another brought 9 gs. A fine variety of Laelia 
anceps realised £7 10s. at the fall of the hammer. 
It was something in the way of L. a. hardyana. 
There was some keen 'bidding for semi-established 
plants of Cattleya dowiana aurea, which had made 
one growth since they were imported. The general 
run was £1 per plant, but a unique specimen fetched 
18 gs., the buyer being glad to get it at the price. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Association.— The 
annual supper of this society took place in the 
Castle Hotel, Exeter, on Friday the 7th inst. Mr. 
W. Chorley, of Wonford House, presided, and the 
vice-chair was taken by C. H. Clark, Esq., one of 
the honorary members. After an excellent and well- 
served repast the chairman called upon Mr. A. 
Hope to read a telegram of apology from Mr. Crabbe 
who was unable to preside, being detained in 
Cornwall. A number of letters were read explaining 
the absence of other members. Henry Hill, Esq., 
of Pinhoe, sent some dishes of Apples for the com¬ 
pany. The loyal toast was received by singing the 
National Anthem, Mr. Andrew Hope, in proposing 
the “ President and Vice-president," said he was 
glad to see some who were present at their first 
meeting. Mr. Roberts, who was then the hon. sec¬ 
retary of the Horticultural Society, was the first 
president they elected, and the selection was a 
good one. The speaker believed that the key of the 
success of the society was due to the officers having 
been selected on account of their interest in horticul¬ 
ture,and their acquaintance with the same. Mr. E.A. 
Sanders, their president, was the only one that had 
been re-elected, and this was due to his keen interest 
in the affiirsof the society throughout its existence. 
Mr. Sanders had also been an active president in all 
weathers, notwithstanding his multifarious duties in 
the city. Among their vice-presidents were many 
men of distinction in the horticultural world, includ¬ 
ing Dr. Dangar, Mr. Baker, Mr. Cann, Mr. P. C. 
M, Veitch, Mr. Snow, and others. Their patrons, 
though not included in the toast, still showed much 
interest in the society, including Mr. Lethbridge, of 
Courtlands ; the Right Hon. Sir John Kennaway, 
Sir John Shelley, Col.Halford Thompson,and others, 
all of whom had shown kindness with their annual 
excursions and in other ways. The toast was warmly 
received, and Mr. James Weeks and Mr. Rogers re¬ 
sponded. The chairman next proposed " The 
Association and its Work,” referring to the aims of 
the society, which were in the best interests of horti¬ 
culture. The work they had done was recognised 
by authorities outside the county. The papers read 
at their meetings were of a valuable character, hav¬ 
ing been in many cases prepared by experts. Mr. 
Wallace Mackay, the hon. treasurer,responded. Mr. 
W. P. Parkhouse also replied, saying that he had 
derived much benefit from his connection with the 
society. Mr. Berry, the lecturer for the Devon 
County Council, wished the society every success. 
The vice-chairman proposed " The Committee,” and 
Mr. W. Rowland and Mr. W. R. Baker responded. 
Other toasts proposed were " The Press,” " The 
Chairman,” "Mr. A. Hope” (the hon. secretary), 
" Mr. W. Mackay ” (the hon. treasurer), the “ Vice- 
chairman,” and " The Host and Hostess." Songs 
and other entertainments beguiled the intervals 
during the evening. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution,— The 
Duke of Portland has fixed Wednesday, June 8th, 
for the 59th anniversary festival dinner in aid of the 
funds of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institu¬ 
tion, at the Hotel Metropole. We are pleased 
indeed to learn that so busy a man has been able to 
fix a date for this important function. 
Wenn, Gardener, Petersham. — A respectably 
dressed young man was recovered from the pond 
surrounding the Diana fountain, Bushy Park, 
Hampton Court, the other week. The overcoat and 
hat of the deceased were picked up on the bank near 
where the body was recovered, and the above name 
and address were found on a card inside the hat. 
Woolton Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society.— 
On Thursday of last week a capital lecture was 
delivered by Mr. R. Pinnington, of Roby, on 
“ Herbaceous Plants " under the presidency of Mr. 
J. Jellicoe. The lecture proved an admirable one, 
the lecturer laying down lines that must prove satis¬ 
factory if followed. The arrangement suggested was 
a wide border with a system carefully worked out as 
regards colour and season, introducing many of our 
spring bulbs, to form carpeting for the loftier speci¬ 
mens of later flowering plants, so that beauty could 
be found nearly all the year round, in broken 
groups and patches, ignoring the old straight lines. 
Details of preparation and general culture were 
given, which should be a liberal one, and free use of 
manure water was also recommended to secure the 
best results. Tying received special notice, the 
practice of bunching being strongly objected to. 
He advised his hearers that stakes, or in some cases 
a small number of stakes, should be given so that 
the flowers or spikes were not crowded in bunches. 
Messrs. T. Carling, R. Todd, G. Haigh, and the 
chairman took part in the discussion, after which a 
vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Jellicoe and Mr. 
Pinnington for their valuable help. 
Messrs. Barr & Sons’ Catalogue —This growing 
annual is a great improvement on that of last year, 
and it is evident that the Messrs. Barr are sparing 
no efforts to make this a useful seed guide to 
amateurs and professionals alike. The catalogue 
makes no pretensions at showiness, but is replete 
with everything that can be required in the best of 
gardens. They have made a select list of what 
they believe to be the finest vegetables in culti¬ 
vation, according to their own experiments and 
observations as well as those of other cultivators 
and experts. Those who require dwarf and early 
varieties of Maize suitable for cultivation in this 
country will find some of the most suitable recorded 
here. That the more generally grown and useful 
vegetables should have received their best attention 
goes without saying. Moreover, this is not merely 
a bald list of names, but page after page is packed 
with descriptive and cultural information that cannot 
fail to be useful for whomsoever intended. Flower 
seeds have had an equal share of attention, and a 
full descriptive list of the most decorative kinds 
given On p. 24 are notes intended to help the 
amateur and beginner to sow and rear hardy and 
half-hardy annuals, greenhouse annuals, hardy 
perennials, and biennials. Four pages of photo¬ 
graphic illustrations have been added,besides others. 
FLOWERING SHRUBS THAT THRIVE 
UNDER TREES. 
Mr. Mayne, on p. 294, mentions, amongst others, 
Hypericum perforatum as being a thriving and suit¬ 
able subject. Does he not mean H. calycinum, said 
to be the Rose of Sharron ? (Yes. Ed.). The latter is 
a dwarfer plant having larger leaves and flowers than 
H. perforatum, which grows wild in abundance in 
many places, the margins of rivers and streams in this 
neighbourhood being gay with it in summertime. 
Although the leaves and flowers are much smaller 
the plant itself grows taller than H. calycinum. It 
has a large corymbose inflorescence and is rather 
a weedy-looking plant for gardens. If the small 
leaves are held up to the light the small dark dots 
can easily be seen, which characteristic suggests the 
name perforatum. Plants of the latter have for 
several years flourished on the top of a wall in this 
garden. Old-fashioned people, I believe, use St. 
