644 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 11, 1898. 
He enjoyed a distinguished position 
amongst botanists, and the esteem and re¬ 
spect of everbody with whom he came in 
contact. 
The report and balance sheet show that 
the sum of ^43 15s. yd., including a much 
smaller balance from 1896-7, stands to the 
credit of the Guild for the past year. The 
capital account, together with the stock in 
hand, shows the total assets of the Guild 
to be £166 17s. 7d. We mention these 
facts merely to show that the institution 
stands on a firm basis, and that there will 
be no difficulty in meeting the annual 
liabilities, notwithstanding the aloofness of 
certain of the old members who do not or 
cannot send their subscription of is., for 
which misdemeanour some would fain 
scratch the names of the offenders from the 
list. We think it would be a more impor¬ 
tant point to settle how long a name may be 
retained in the annual register, whose pre¬ 
sent address still remains a blank, since they 
retired into the bush or backwoods in dis¬ 
tant countries. 
The changes and improvements in the 
houses and grounds at Kew, several ofwhich 
we have mentioned from time to time, are 
all recorded here, and will be of interest to 
members at a distance. While His Majesty 
the King of Siam was sojourning in our 
midst last - year he visited Kew and dis¬ 
played exceptional interest in plants as well 
as a knowledge of them. As a memento of 
his visit he purchased and took with him 
the prize collection of British plants 
collected by Mr. D. Tannock in 1896, and 
numbering some 400 species, all named and 
mounted. If we were Mr. Tannock we 
should make a fresh collection and name it 
the successor to that taken away by the 
eastern potentate in question, even if it cost 
us several all night journeys to complete. 
Several of the writers of short notes are 
distinctly funny, and the lodgings question 
is again reviewed. A friend of one Kewite 
was annoyed at the way in which his pro¬ 
visions found their way into other hands 
(mouths ?), so in bringing home some fresh 
herrings he removed their eyes to prevent 
them from straying; but those that turned 
up at the breakfast table next morning had 
eyes, but though they could not see, the 
man to whom they were presented could, 
and disowned ownership. 
Judging from recent discussions in the 
gardening, but particularly the lay Press, 
there will be an outburst of indignation 
(some would say fanaticism) at the appear¬ 
ance of a portrait in the Journal of the first 
lady gardener who has taken sole charge of 
a garden on the same terms as a man. 
We refer to Miss Annie M. Gulvin, gar¬ 
dener to J. Brogden, Esq., Iscoed, Ferry- 
side, South Wales, who gives an account of 
her first year’s experience of the place. 
The difficulties with which she had to con¬ 
tend were neither few nor small, and even- 
minded gardeners will, we think, sym¬ 
pathise with rather than chastise her,for the 
part she has taken in horticultural affairs. 
The place must have been in a greatly dilapi¬ 
dated condition and overrun with vermin 
from greenfly to rats, mice and birds, the 
latter being so daring and confident as to 
break glass in order to steal the fruit. Her 
predecessor must have been antiquated, 
and possibly would be disowned by his 
brethren of the profession, if all is true 
regarding the neglect of duty attributed to 
him. Miss Gulvin has an assistant lady 
gardener and four men, who having been 
taught submission, now take their sub¬ 
ordinate positions meekly. She has already 
taken a first prize for vegetables at a local 
show, and has otherwise given such satis¬ 
faction that her salary has been raised £\o 
a year. 
Many other interesting bits are furnished 
by old Kewites, including an account 
of Mr. William Cameron, who left Kew in 
i q 57 and left his footprints in the Botanic 
Garden, Peradeniya, Ceylon. He was the 
planter of the giant Bamboos by the river¬ 
side in that garden, the pictures of which 
have astonished many a reader in this 
country besides ourselves. Mr. Cameron 
is now a tea planter in the district, and his 
story is furnished by Mr. MacMillan, the 
present curator of the Botanic Gardens. 
The several accounts of different parts of 
Africa also make most interesting reading, 
particularly travel and gardening in Cape 
Colony, pioneer work in the hinterland of 
Lagos and British Central Africa, all of 
which may be read with profit, particularly 
by those who may ultimately find their 
way into darkest Africa. The piping times 
of peace, no less than the piping times of 
war, are fraught with danger to those who 
follow the peaceful profession of gardening 
and arboriculture in distant lands. We 
are reminded of this in the chapter on “ In 
Memoriam,” giving a brief account of six 
past Kewites who have fallen in the strife 
more or less recently, including the late 
Mr. Willey, curator of the Botanic Station 
at Sierra Leone. Silently and undauntedly 
the gaps are filled up by brave men from 
the mother country. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution.—We learn 
with pleasure that Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd., 
Chelsea, gave a donation of £20 to the Festival 
Dinner Fund of this institution, the dinner taking 
place on Wednesday last. 
Mr. G. W. Cummins, late gardener to A. H. Smee, 
Esq., The Grange, Wallington, Carshalton, Surrey, 
has been appointed head gardener to W. H. 
Lumsden, Esq., Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. We wish 
Mr. Cummins every success in his new appointment, 
and his numerous friends, we feel sure, will re-echo 
that sentiment. 
Staging Vegetables at Edinburgh.—I notice in the 
schedule of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society that there is an addition of a class for sixteen 
varieties of vegetables to the class for ten, but ex¬ 
hibitors are asked to stage them on the same space 
as for ten, namely, on a box or tray 4 ft. by 3 ft. 
Surely this is an oversight, as the above space is 
barely sufficient for ten, far less for putting sixteen 
dishes on it. Why exhibit vegetables on trays at 
all ? We do not see collections of fruit arranged as 
such; indeed, anyone who has sixteen dishes of 
vegetables to take by rail has sufficient excess to pay 
without adding the weight of a staging box. None 
of the leading vegetable exhibitors in England, such 
as at Shrewsbury, Reading, the Royal Aquarium, 
and many others I could mention, see any necessity 
for it. All that is required is a distinct division be¬ 
tween each collection .—James Gibson, Devonhurst, 
Chiswick. 
The National Dahlia Society—We are in receipt of 
a most useful official catalogue of this society, the 
appearance of which all Dahlia lovers will cordially 
welcome. It is compiled upon similar lines to the 
catalogues sent out by the National Chrysanthemum 
Society, is well printed, and runs to forty-seven 
pages of printed matter exclusive of advertisements, 
and the red covers. The contents comprise a short 
history of the Dahlia, its bibliography, not as yet 
very extensive, selected lists of the best varieties of 
Dahlias of each section, together with the special 
characteristics of the different sections; and a 
general alphabetical list of all varieties in general 
cultivation in Great Britain, with the name of the 
raiser, and the date of sending out. A good deal of 
information has thus been collected, and the greatest 
credit is due to the compilers. Perhaps the 
"selected lists” above referred to are the most 
useful portion of the work, for descriptions are 
attached to each variety. In these lists the arrange¬ 
ment is not alphabetical but according to merit, the 
records of each flower at the recent exhibitions of 
the society being taken as the test of merit. 
Kew Visitor to Friend.—"These are Orchids, and 
some of them catch flies and eat them.— Patterson. 
The Oldest Tree in the British Isles is said to be the 
Brabourne Yew, in Kent, the age of which is 3,000 
years. 
The Smallest Known Plant, says the botanist, is 
the Yeast. Well, if this is really the case the fruits 
are most universal.— Patterson. 
The works of him who builds begin immediately to 
decay, but those of him who plants begin immediately 
to improve .—Old Saying. 
The chap who made that remark had never been 
in a London back-garden.— Sniggs. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
floral meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will be held on Tuesday, June 14th, in the Drill 
Hall, James Street, Westminster, 1.5 p.m. This will 
be the first meeting at which the Sherwood £10 10s. 
Silver Cup for annuals and biennials deooratively 
arranged will be competed for. A lecture on 
"Orchid Hybrids” will be given by Mr. James 
O’Brien, V.M.H., at 3 o’clock. Committees will 
meet as usual. 
Galloway Floral Fete.—The date of the Galloway 
Floral Fete has been altered from August 17th, to 
August 18th, on which day the management com¬ 
mittee has arranged for a military tournament to be 
given by a detachment of the Argyle and Sutherland 
Highlanders from Glasgow. The committee have 
also engaged the band of this regiment for the 
occasion, which in itself is a sufficient outside 
attraction. We are informed that this annual fete, 
which is now the only affair of the kind in Galloway, 
promises to be even more successful than the one 
held last year, and we hope these expectations may 
be realised. The fete is to be held in Kirroughtree 
Park, Newton-Stewart. 
Recorded Sunshine.—The new sunshine recorder 
which was put into operation at the Greenwich 
Observatory at the beginning of last year, gave a 
total of 1,543 hours of sunshine during the twelve, 
months. There were only 1,529 hours of bright sun¬ 
shine out of the 4,454 hours during the time the sun 
was above the horizon of our murky skies. The 
Kew Observatory recorded 1,575 hours of sunshine 
during 1897, and, as usual, Bunhill Row, London, 
was again at the bottom of the scale with 1,279 hours , 
of sunshine. The mean temperature for the year 
was 50-3° Fahr., being o p 9° above the average of the 
past fifty years. The highest temperature in 
the shade was go'2 0 , which occurred on June 24th. 
The number of rainy days last year was only 149 in 
the London district, during which time there was a 
rainfall of 17 33 in., being 7-21 in. below the average 
of the last fifty years. The wind had an average 
velocity of 288 miles per day. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners’Association.—Summer 
outing : The committee are now able to announce 
that arrangements have been made for an excursion 
which they trust will be as enjoyable as any hitherto 
taken by the association. By favour of His Grace 
The Duke of Bedford, the members and their friends 
have permission to visit Endsleigh, one of the most 
charming family seats in the county. The excursion 
will therefore be to Tavistock and Endsleigh, oa 
Wednesday, July 6th. The L. & S. W. Rail¬ 
way have been good enough to undertake to provide 
saloon carriages for the party to and from Tavistock, 
and Mr. Squire, of the Bedford Hotel, there, has 
arranged to drive us out to Endsleigh and back in 
brakes. The party will leave Queen Street Station 
at 9.5 a.m., and reach Tavistock at 10.45 a m - 
Opportunity will then be taken to inspect the various 
interesting memorials in that historic town, and at 
12.30 p.m. a light lunch will be served. The brakes 
will leave at 1 o’clock for Endsleigh, where two hours 
will be spent. On returning to Tavistock, a 
substantial meat tea will be served, and the return 
journey be made from Tavistock, leaving at 7.55, 
arriving at Exeter at 9.28. The tickets to members, 
including railway and brake fare, light lunch and 
meat tea will be 7s. 6d.; tickets to non-members 
(friends of members), 10s. All tickets must be taken 
by Friday, rst July. No tickets will be issued at the 
station .—Andrew Hope, hon. see., 54, High Street, 
Exeter. 
