660 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 18, 1898. 
afforded them for this particular examina¬ 
tion. It is certainly a tribute to the in¬ 
struction afforded there in various phases 
of horticulture, as well as to the laudable 
desire for improvement, evidenced by the 
students themselves. The other first-class 
papers come from districts or places widely 
scattered all over the country, and are no 
doubt the results of teaching in isolated 
districts and towns by the county councils. 
Though Surrey is not represented by a 
school, numerous students from different 
places gave a good account of themselves, 
when committing to paper their answers to 
the questions set. 
Sixty-one candidates passed second class, 
being an increase upon last year, when 
fifty-five passed. They all had 150 marks 
and upwards, but less than 200. The 
County Technical School, Stafford, heads 
the list in this instance with 7 students; 
Swanley, Chelmsford, and Holmes Chapel 
being represented by four students each. 
Aughton, Lancashire, furnished five second 
class papers, Leicester furnished three. In 
the third class Chelmsford leads with seven 
students ; while Holmes Chapel has two in 
this category ; and Swanley College and 
Leicester, one each. Surrey sends a con¬ 
siderable number, including four from 
Caterham Valley. Altogether thi:ty-six 
passed in the third class as against twenty- 
eight last year. 
Of the 11 candidates from Scotland, 3 
passed first class, 6 second, and 2 third- 
class. The principal centres here are 
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Longniddry, 
Haddington. One student who passed in 
the first class hails from Cullen Gardens, 
Banffshire, this being the most northern 
student recorded. A great many of the 
isolated cases throughout the United King¬ 
dom must represent an exhibition of 
individual industry, perseverance, and 
talent that cannot be ignored in taking an 
account of the spread of education amongst 
young gardeners. It is satisfactory to 
knew that the answers gave the examiners 
greater satisfaction than last year. Plant 
physiology is of considerable importance to 
gardeners, and though they have hitherto 
shown some antipathy to this branch of 
instruction, they are now waking up to the 
needs of the times. A list of the successful 
candidates is given in another column. 
-—■f-- 
R. H. S. Rose Show : Change of Date.—May I ask 
you to be so kind as to announce in as prominent a 
manner as possible that the Council have changed 
the date of the R. H. S. Rose Show advertised on p. 
59 of the arrangements for 1898, from June 28th to 
July i2tb. This alteration is necessitated by the 
abnormally backward state of the Roses this year.— 
W. Wilkes, Sec. 
Lectures at Chiswick.—The first of a series of four 
lectures for the benefit of the members of the Chis¬ 
wick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association 
was delivered by Prof, the Rev. Geo. Henslow on 
Wednesday, the 22nd inst. The subject of this 
lecture was on “ The Importance of a General 
Knowledge of Vegetable Physiology to Cultivators." 
Succeeding lectures will be delivered on the 22nd 
and 29th June, and on the 6th July. 
Children and Fruit.—In the last issue of the Garden¬ 
ing World it is stated that “ fruit causes diarrhoea 
in children." This is a mistake. It is possible that 
a boy, after devouring a large quantity of green 
Gooseberries or half grown Apples, may feel a pain 
behind his pinafore, but this is not the exclusive 
right of childhood. A strong man may ftel the same, 
or more, under the same circumstances. If fruit is 
ripe and sound, experience shows that it can be 
eaten in any reasonable quantity by any one with 
pleasure aud benefit to both the grower and the eater, 
be the latter ever so small,— T. F. 
A Second Kew Gardens. —’Arry (eyeing a lady’s 
hat) : “ I say, ’Arriet, 'as she got a second Kew 
Gardings in her ’at ? ”—'Arriet: “Yus ’Arry. W'en 
are you going to give me one like it ? ’’ Conversation 
flagged. 
Staging Vegetables at Edinburgh. —Two Edinburgh 
correspondents have written to say that Mr. James 
Gibson is perfectly correct in his contention (p. 644) 
that trays of the size specified are too small for the 
proper display of sixteen varieties of vegetables, and 
that the matter will be placed before the council of 
the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, for the 
consideration of that body. This is so far satisfac¬ 
tory, and the society would do well to rectify the 
matter both in the interests of the public and 
exhibitors. 
Orchid Display at Highfield, Woolton. There is at 
the present time a grand display of Orchids in 
flower, beautifully arranged in one of the Orchid 
houses at this place, there being over 100 grand 
spikes of all the best varieties of Laelia purpurata. 
Many fine Cattleya Mendellii and C. Mossiae, Onci- 
diums in variety, and Odontoglossum citrosrnum 
in many well-flowered specimens hang gracefully 
from the roof. At the end of the house is a group 
of Odontoglossum vexillarium in many plants of 
beautiful varieties, well flowered. One specimen 
nearly 3-ft. through is producing dozens of spikes of 
charming flowers. These are beautifully grown. 
W. H. Tate, Esq., the owner, enjoys his plants and 
he may well be proud of his collection, which is 
skilfully handled by Mr. Haigb, his gardener, who 
has had charge here for many years ,—A.O. 
Cycle Race for Carwardine Cup.—The annual race, 
promoted by the Anerley Bicycle Club, for the 
historic Carwardine Cup, takes place on the Crystal 
Palace track on Saturday, June i8tb, at 3 p.m. The 
race was originally run as a twenty-four hours com¬ 
petition for unlicensed riders and won by C. Fontaine, 
but owing to the action of the N C.U. in stopping 
races for this class of men, the distance has been 
altered to 100 miles for amateurs, the winners being 
D. Frost in 1896 and A. H. Harris in 1897. Probably 
of all the Century races, there has been more com¬ 
petition for this Cup than any other, owing perhaps 
to its enormous value, 300 guineas; which is, we 
believe, the highest valued prize ever offered for a 
cycle competition. The amount of interest shown 
by riders in this year’s race can best be proved by 
the number of entries (including the two previous 
winners Frost and Harris) being so great that it is 
quite impossible to start them all in one race, so 
only twenty picked riders will start, and as each rider 
is now allowed by the N.C.U. to have six tandems 
for pace-’rnakiDg, the race should be to the spectators 
very exciting and interesting, and a great crowd is 
expected to be present. 
Mr. Gladstone’s Favourite Flower.—Since the funeral 
at Westminster Abbey of Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Ellis 
Lever has made a suggestion that on every 19th of 
May, the anniversary of Mr. Gladstone's death, the 
English Rose should be worn. The late statesman had 
an intense love of flowers, especially of the Rose, and 
during the summer months was accustomed to wear 
one in his coat. The talented poetess, Mrs. Felicia 
Dorothea Hemans, who, like Mr. Gladstone, was 
born at Liverpool, wrote some lines on this floral 
emblem of England, which Mr. Lever quotes : — 
How much of memory dwells amidst thy bloom, 
Rose! ever wearing beauty for thy dower ! 
The bridal day—the festival—the tomb— 
Thou hast thy part in each-thou stateliest flower ! 
Therefore with thy soft breath come floating by 
A thousand images of love and grief, 
Dreams, filled witn tokens of mortality, 
Deep thoughts of all things beautiful and brief. 
Rose ! for the bouquet gathered, and the bier; 
Rose ! coloured now by human hope or pain ; 
Surely where death is not nor change nor fear, 
Yet may we meet thee, Joy’s own flower, again! 
On seeing Mr. Lever's suggestion, the Dean of 
Rochester, Dr. Reynolds Hole, the well-known author 
of “ A Book about Roses ” and other popular works, 
wrote to Mr. Lever as follows :—“ You will be 
pleased to read the following extract from a letter 
dated 79, Harley Street, March 28th, 1877, addressed 
to the Rev. Canon Hole :— • The Rose is, in addition 
to other merits, an English flower, almost an English 
institution, and I am glad you have made it a sub¬ 
ject of special study and commemoration. I remain, 
dear sir, yours faithfully, W. E. Gladstone.’ ’’— The 
Southport Visiter. 
The Daffodil was Lord Tennyson's favourite 
flower. 
Good and Bad Seeds. —Waggs was troubled about 
his Parsnips not coming up and asked if they had 
gone down the other way. Quoth I, The good 
die young, and that accounts for the remainder.”— 
Snaggs, K.B.A. 
M. Scalarandis, head gardener to the King of Italy, 
the well-known Chrysanthemum specialist, has lately 
been named a Chevalier du M'erite Agricole. He has 
been honoured with this decoration by France on 
account of the numerous services he has rendered to 
horticulture. 
Paris Exhibition of 1900 .—The Royal Commission 
are now prepared to circulate information respecting 
the exhibition. The classification and rules for 
exhibitors, together with forms of application for 
space, can be obtained by applying to the Secretary 
of the Royal Commission, Paris Exhibition, 1900, 
St. Stephen's House, Westminster, S.W. 
The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Flower Show.— As 
already announced this show will be held in con¬ 
junction with the Northumberland Agricultural 
Show in the Recreation Ground, on Wednesday, 
Thursday, and Friday, July 13th, 14th, and 15th. 
This will be the largest show ever held in the North 
of England. A large deputation from the Council of 
the Royal Horticultural Society will travel from 
London to visit the show and make awards. Several 
prominent nurserymen from different parts of 
England have made application for space. The 
whole show promises to be a great success. 
The Fossil Forest of Atanakerdluk, as a fossiliferous 
exhibit, is unique. Many of the leaves of the trees 
are so perfectly preserved that fragments of insects 
are plainly to be detected on their surfaces. Amongst 
these trees are early representatives of Sequoia 
gigantea of the Yosemite valley, and also of the 
curious and interesting Salisburia adiantifolia, or 
Ginkgo biloba. Atanakerdluk is situated in northern 
Greenland, about 70° N. latitude. An early report 
places the date of its origin in the Miocene period, 
for out of the sixty-six species of plants which have 
been recognised in it no less than eighteen belong to 
that period. A party of Swedish scientists are even 
now preparing for a visit to this wonderful spot, and 
we shall, probably, thus in the near future, know 
something more definite as to the wonders which this 
forest, with the unpronounceable name, contains for 
the palaeontologist. 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons’ Annual Excursion.—For a 
number of years past Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of 
Reading, have organised a yearly trip for their em¬ 
ployes. The excursion for the present year took 
place on Monday, the 6th inst., to Southampton. A 
special train was chartered from the Great Western 
Railway Co., and the journey was accomplished 
very comfortably from Reading in two hours, the 
route being via Newbury and Winchester. In a 
saloon carriage attached to the train were Mr. and 
Mrs. M. J. Sutton, Mr. A. W. Sutton, Mr. Leonard 
Sutton, Mr. M. H. F. Sutton, Miss Jessie Sutton, 
Miss Kathleen Sutton, and a party of friends. It is 
almost needless to say that the various members of 
the firm who thus identified themselves with the 
men’s enjoyment did their utmost to render the day 
as pleasant as possible. Arriving at Southampton 
the trippers, who numbered nearly 700, embarked on 
two steamers, one of which, the ‘‘Solent Queen,” 
left for Ryde, and proceeded round the island, 
touching at Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor. 
The other vessel, " Her Majesty,” went to 
Cowes and Totland Bay. Most of the passengers 
by this boat landed at Cowes and visited 
Osborne, Her Majesty the Queen having graciously 
given permission to view the grounds. The party 
was shown round by Mr. Sclater, the agent, and 
Mr. Nobbs, the gardener. The weather .was 
gloriously fine throughout, and thus the lovely Isle 
of Wight was seen at its best. In addition to 
meeting the travelling expenses both by sea and 
land, the Messrs. Sutton generously made an allow¬ 
ance to each employe for incidental expenses, and 
each married man was invited to bring his wife. The 
return train left Southampton at 8 p.m., and 
Reading was reached at 10 p.m., another red letter 
day in the experience of the employes of the Reading 
firm thus being brought to a successful close The 
organisation was perfect throughout. 
