438 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 12, 1898. 
come under discussion at the next or ad¬ 
journed meeting : — 
" Firstly. —Whether the time has not arrived for 
the society to have a paid secretary and no vote ? 
" Secondly. —That it be an instruction to the com¬ 
mittee to inquire and report on what other places 
(if any) can be obtained for our exhibitions, 
either by a subsidy, as now, or otherwise ? 
"Thirdly. —To consider if the time has not arrived 
when in reliance on our own resources we can 
proceed on independent lines like most provin¬ 
cial societies, which are in a sound financial 
condition ? 
Fourthly.— As there appears to be much dis¬ 
quietude arising from the fact that the secretary 
is the delegated referee at all exhibitions, 
whether the advisability of a change should not 
be considered in the form of a small reference 
committe or otherwise ? 
" Fifthly. —That as the custom of selling the floor 
space of the Aquarium to trade exhibitors (some 
of whom are not bona fide growers of Chrys¬ 
anthemums), and that inasmuch as such sales 
have driven competitive exhibits of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums into semi-dark galleries upstairs, whether 
such custom of selling space for a different pur¬ 
pose than than for which the National Chrys¬ 
anthemum Society was established shall be 
seriously considered with a view to its discontinu¬ 
ance. 
" Sixthly. —That an exhibition committee be ap¬ 
pointed to closely examine the question of minor 
shows, with the object of ascertaining their advant¬ 
ages or otherwise, to the society, and report the 
result of their investigations to the General 
Committee.” 
United Horticultural Benefit & Provident Society. 
The Annual Meeting of tnis Society will take place 
on Monday next, March 14th, at 8 p.m. at the 
Caledonian Hotel. Mr. George Wythes of Syon 
House has kindly consented to preside. 
Bananas from Madeira. —Of the two Bananas 
grown in the Madeiras, Musa Cavendishii is the one 
preferred. It gives heavier bunches, and the 
individual fruits are larger, says Consul Crawford, of 
Funchal. It is grown in great quantities to supply 
fruit for export. 
Glanbeuno, Carnarvon. —Glanbeuno, the charming 
residence of the late F. W. Foster, Esq., situated 
within two miles of the town of Carnarvon, has 
been sold to Owen Jones, Esq., of Greenbank, 
Carnarvon. Mr. John Williams has been head 
gardener here for many years, and has engaged to 
remain in the same position with the new purchaser. 
Glanbeuno is noted for its fine gardens and long ranges 
of glasshouses, consisting of plant houses, Vines and 
Peaches. The range of Peach houses is 150 ft. in 
length, and one old Royal George about thirty-five 
years old has spread on the back wall, covering half 
the house, and yielding regularly every season about 
200 peaches, rich in flavour and colour, and many 
times at the head of the winning boards at various 
provincial shows. ’Mums are represented here also 
when the fever comes round in November. Also 
specimens of Crotons and Orchids. Grapes finish 
well here. 
The Midland Carnation and Picotee Society —The 
Seventh Annual Report, with the lists of subscribers 
and awards, and the balance-sheet for 1897 issued by 
this very-much-alive Midland Society are before us. 
The publication takes the form of a neatly got up 
catalogue of eighty-four pages, exclusive of the 
covers. A variety of information is given that can¬ 
not fail to be of service to both exhibitors and mere 
cultivators of the handsome flower. Amongst other 
things there is a list of some of the leading flowers in 
each class that are suitable for exhibition—just the 
kind of information that novices in the art are 
hungry for. Then there is a capitally written and 
practical article upon the " Cultivation of Carnations 
and Picotees,” from Mr. Robert Sydenham. We 
notice that, owing to unfavourable weather, the gate- 
money was this year smaller than on any previous 
occasion, but increased subscriptions from various 
members have enabled the society to tide over the 
misfortune with undiminished and even increased 
balance and prestige. The balance-sheet shows a 
total income for the year of £237 19s., including last 
year's balance of £37 4s. 5d. The expenses incurred 
amounted to £189 15s. 8d., thus leaving the goodly 
sum of ^48 13s. qd. in the hands of the treasurer. 
We wish the society the continued success and 
prosperity that it deserves. 
Landscape Gardening.—Brown (after an hour’s dig¬ 
ging for the ferret), “ Call this rabbit shootin’ ? I 
call it landscape gardening ! ”— Punch. 
An Old Rose Tree.—There is a very old Rose 
twined about the ancient cathedral of Hildesheim, 
near Brunswick. It is said to date back to the time 
of Charlemagne, and to be recorded as a curiosity in 
chronicles of the ninth century. Some destructive 
insect has lately attacked it, and the people of 
Hildesheim are alarmed about their ancient heir¬ 
loom, summoning the best arboriculturists to their 
assistance. 
Evolution Committee of the Royal Society.—Mr. 
Bateson, at the meeting of the Scientific Committee 
of the Royal Horticultural Society, on the 9th ult., 
called attention to the existence of the Evolution 
Committee of the Royal Society, the object of which 
is to promote accurate observations of facts relating 
to variation, heredity, selection, and other pheno¬ 
mena connected with the evolution of plants and 
animals. A horticultural sub-committee has been 
appointed to further the above objects in the hope 
that any persons engaged in practical horticulture 
may be willing to assist the committee by communi¬ 
cating the results obtained, and allowing their oper¬ 
ations to be observed and recorded. The secretary 
of the Scientific Committee will be glad to receive 
any communications. 
A Successful Student in a Far Land. -We are 
pleased to learn of the success of Mr. Hamish W. 
Russell, a student and reader of The Gardening 
World, at Rippon Grove, Elsternwick, Victoria. 
He is the grandson of the late Mr. James Russell, 
of Poltalloch, Argyleshire, whose portrait we gave a 
little over a year ago, unfortunately for the last time. 
His grandson, Mr. H. W. Russell, is under 17 years 
of age, but has, nevertheless, just completed his 
second year at the college there. He was first 
under the late Mr. Neilson, government fruit expert; 
and during the second year under Mr. Luffman.the 
present curator. At the end of the first year he took 
the first prize for root grafting against both junior 
and senior pupils. Last year, however, a more 
equitable arrangement prevailed and the senior and 
junior divisions were separated. In the junior 
division Mr. Russell secured five first prizes, 
namely (1) for hoeing and digging, etc. (2) an essay 
on orchard management (3) an essay on suitable 
stocks for fruit trees (4) botany and vegetable patho¬ 
logy, and (5) horticulture. It is peculiarly gratifying 
to learn of such indomitable energy amongst the 
scions of the mother land in the distant daughter 
colony under entirely different climatic influences. 
For instance, in the early part of January the 
behaviour of the weather must have been very trying 
for those who were working or studying. For a week 
on end the temperature varied between ioo° and 107° 
in the shade. 
The genus Arenaria. — At the meeting of the 
Linnean Society of London, on February 17th, Mr. 
F. N. Williams, F.L.S., read a paper on " Arenaria,” 
one of the larger genera of Caryopbyllaceae, which 
now includes a considerable number of species. 
Alsine and others, usually included as sections of 
the genus, he thought should be regarded as distinct 
genera ; Alsine and Arenaria are distinguished by 
the same cardinal character which separates Lychnis 
from Silene. The genus under revision includes 
species (of which 168 are enumerated) distributed 
chiefly throughout the north temperate zone, though 
in the New World a few occur in South America. A 
few species which extend toward the Tropics occur 
at considerable elevations on mountain-raDges, 
reaching, for instance, 19,000 ft. in the Himalayas 
of W. Tibet. In this revision, for the formation of 
primary groups, the two associated characters relied 
on are the number of teeth formed by dehiscence of 
the ripe capsule, and the structure of the disk. An 
examination of several series of specimens, especially 
of those of the better known forms growing in situ, 
shows these two characters to be fairly constant, and 
suitable for the definition of primary groups, 
although in habit and aspect species of Alsine are 
not readily distinguished from those of Arenaria. 
The author’s descriptions are confined to species re¬ 
cognised during the last fifty years (from 1848 to 
1897 inclusive), the others being cited in their 
proper place by name and references. 
The English Sparrow in America is quite as lively 
as he is here, and is reported to be eating the buds 
of Cherries, Peaches, and Gooseberries. Everything 
English seems to be able to make a home anywhere, 
but in this case the sparrow will not be allowed un¬ 
disturbed possession. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms. —Good things still com¬ 
mand their price. A small piece of Dendrobium 
nobile nobilius was secured for 10 gs. at the Sale 
Rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & Morris, Cheapside, 
on the 4th inst. Many growers of Orchids are yet 
waiting for a piece to add to their collection. A 
beautiful variety of Cattleya Trianaei was bought for 
4 gs. ; and C. Schroderae secured 3* gs. A fine 
variety of Odontoglossum crispum, though by no 
means a first-class one, reached £2 5s. at the fall of 
the hammer. 
The Winter Flower Competition recently announced 
by the Western Weekly News was a great success. 
Prizes were offered for the best collections of plants 
in bloom in the open, with the object of seeing how 
many flowers could be found out of doors in Corn¬ 
wall and Devon. The first prize of 103. was awarded 
to Miss Helen Kathleen Tyacke, of Tendeira, 
Helston, whose collection contained ninety-one 
specimens. Of these, seventy-two were garden, and 
19 wild plants. The list of garden flowers included 
white and pink Camellias, several Roses, a number 
of Narcissi and Anemones, Solanum jasminoides, and 
such fruit trees as the Gooseberry, Plum, Pear, and 
Apple. Mrs. Young, Woodbrook, near Dawlish, who 
sent sixty-eight specimens, and Mr. L. M. Brighton, 
Tea and Pleasure Gardens, Buralston, R.S.O., who 
forwarded fifty-five, received each a prize of 5s. 
The National Amateur Gardeners' Association conti¬ 
nues to give proofs of vitality and progress. The report 
and statement of accounts for 1897 which has been 
forwarded us by the hen. general secretary, 
Mr. Leonard Brown, shows that the nett result of 
the year's working is a balance of £4 13s. 5d. on the 
right side. Then the association owns a library of 
popular and useful horticultural works, valued at 
£30 —an advantage that the members doubtless 
appreciate. The Saturday afternoon outings during 
the year proved most enjoyable, and they were well 
attended. The shows and the annual dinner were 
all successes, and the Amateur World of Horticulture 
continues to perform good services. Amongst the 
present year’s fixtures the dates are given of the 
numerous competitions for challenge cups and 
trophies from various donors that are to take place. 
Some of these trophies are valuable and will doubt¬ 
less insure a good competition. Lectures on different 
horticultural subjects will be given through the year 
by men of note and standing. The garden party 
and exhibition will be held, as usual, in the Royal 
Botanic Society’s gardens at Regent’s Park. July 9 
is the date fixed. 
The Royal Horticultural Society of Southampton.— 
The annual report and statement of this Society’s 
accounts were presented to the members at the 
annual meeting which took place on the 20th ult. 
The mayor of Southampton (Alderman G.J. Tilling, 
J.P.) filled the chair. The report, which was the 
36th of its kind, was on the whole a most satis¬ 
factory one. Periods of depression were deplored, 
as for instance the summer show, when, despite the 
fine weather and a first-class exhibition, the receipts 
fell £265 below those of the previous year, and 
£100 below the lowest record. This was due and 
could be traced to the number of counter attractions, 
including the Jubilee celebrations. The total income 
from the year was shown to have been £644 6s. 2d. 
The expenses for the same period were ^581 ns. id 
thus leaving a profit of £62 15s. id. on 
the year’s working. For this satisfactory result 
the report expressed the indebtedness of the society 
to the president, Sir Samuel Montagu, Bart , M.P., 
and other leading patrons, At the election of 
officers, which followed the reading and consider¬ 
ation of the report and financial statement, 
Sir Samuel Montagu was re-elected president. 
The vice-presidents, of whom there is a lengthy 
list of thirty-eight, were re-elected en bloc. Mr. 
C. Fuidge will continue to fill the office of hon. 
secretary,and, we doubt not,to discharge the various 
duties connected therewith as admirably as he has 
done in the past. Mr. W. G. Davy still holds the 
post of treasurer. The usual votes of thanks all 
round were given and received. 
