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THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 17, 1900. 
Mr. F. G/Brewer, for three years head gardener 
at Oakland’s, near St. Albans, Herts., has been 
appointed in a similar capacity to R. E. Johnston, 
Esq., Ferlings Park, near Harlow, Essex. 
The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution.— 
The Duke of Portland has kindly undertaken to pre¬ 
side at the 6ist anniversary festival dinner of this 
institution, at the Whitehall Rooms, on May i8th 
next. 
Gardeners Charity Guild.—N. N. Sherwood, Esq., 
has graciously consented to act as chairman of the 
great smoking concert arranged for March 14th, in 
aid of the funds of the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent 
Institution. 
Weather in London.—Those who wished for 
seasonable weather are now having it. Thursday 
and Friday of last week gave 17 9 and 20° of frost 
respectively. On Saturday evening a very heavy fall 
of snow came, and frost, with snow and sleet showers 
at times, has continued since. 
Webb’s Annual Catalogue of Farm Seeds.—The 
Messrs. Webb & Sons, of Wordsley, Stourbridge, 
do a tremendous trade, as we all know, in horticul¬ 
tural seeds, &c , and it would seem as though their 
trade in seeds of the farm was proportionately great. 
The firm’s annual farm seed list is to hand. It is 
exceedingly well arranged, and the numerous photo¬ 
graphs and records of recent awards are alone suffi¬ 
cient guarantee to the worth of the seeds they 
furnish. 
Hop-Picking Machine.-In deprecating the use 
of the above in our Hop-yards, I was afraid that I 
should be placing my head in a hornet’s nest with 
the growers, but not so with the pickers, I venture to 
say; and surely Kentish Hop-growers, who paid 
/700 the past season for picking, must have helped 
the deservirg, the majority of whom I have always 
understood are East End poor. Of course, I was 
pleading the cause of hundreds of poor creatures 
who look upon this Hop harvest as a perfect godsend 
for the time being, not always to the financial side, 
but to the recuperating of their healths as the surest 
tonic that can be given them. This alone should 
make your correspondent pause ere he puts forth his 
hand to rob them of this (their all) ; for what are we, 
one and all, when health fails us ?—more inclined to 
be irritable than cheerful, I am afraid.— Hereford. 
Canadian High-grade Fruit in English Markets. 
—The Canadian fruit growers have been, and are 
now making f arnest endeavours to place their very 
finest fruits in first-class condition on the English 
markets. That their efforts are being attended with 
success is proved by testimonials which their Com¬ 
missioner of Agriculture at Ottawa has received. 
An authoritative fruit trade journalist, who has 
made choice fruit production, packing, and distribu¬ 
tion a special study for twenty-five years, writing 
about some English imports of Canadian fruits, 
gives the growers great praise for the great pains 
they had manifested in placing such fine shipments 
in England. The size and appearances of the Apples 
were strikingly handsome, the packing very carefully 
performed, the packages of a suitable size, and, in 
general, everything was highly creditable. 
The Utility Poultry Club.—Recognising the fact 
that of the many millions of ggs consumed in these 
islands, thousands and thousands come from abroad 
and need not, to stop this business, and to forward a 
movement for egg production in this country, the 
above-named club has been formed. The objects of 
the club are :—To encourage the breeding of pure or 
cross-bred birds ; to give prizes for the most efficient 
and economical system of packirig and marketing 
poultry produce, and for table poultry. Prizes are 
also awarded for eggs at exhibitions, &c. The club 
also desires to secure the best advice for members on 
all matters relating to the selection, breeding, and 
keeping of poultry; to facilitate change of blood 
from good laying strains between members; and 
lastly, to encourage the formation of local clubs 
pledged to carry out the development and improve¬ 
ment of utility characteristics in poultry. The sub¬ 
scription is only 2S. 6d., so as to put membership 
within the reach of all. Any further particulars will 
be supplied on application to the Hon. Secretary and 
Treasurer, Mr. B. W. Horne, 49, Gloucester Gardens, 
London, \V. 
The name’of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine is subject 
to frequent contraction. "Glory’’ is often heard, 
but “ Lorraine” or “ Lorraine Begonia,” would be 
more advisable. We have Begonia Gloire de Sceaux 
as a very popular member. 
Begonia Caledonia.—A copy of the coloured plate 
of this beautiful white sport from B. Gloire de Lor¬ 
raine, now being published by Mr. John Forbes, Buc- 
cleuch Nurseries, Hawick, N.B., has been sent us. 
The plate is 12 in. by in., and is an admirably 
executed piece of colour printing, showing off the 
general features of the flowers and foliage, as well as 
the general habit of the plant to perfection. Evi¬ 
dently Mr. Forbes does not intend to hide the quali¬ 
ties and recommendations of his novelty under a 
bushel. If growers generally succeed in growing 
the plant to the size and form here depicted, no one 
will have cause to grumble with the new comer. 
Tree Planting for Healthiness.—The comments 
made in a contemporary upon the goodness of trees 
in promoting the health of regions, particularly 
where miasma and malaria prevail, are very reason¬ 
able. The effects following the planting up of dry 
regions with forests have been proved efficacious for 
attracting rain, a blessed present to such quarters. 
On the other hand, marshy land from which arises 
the poisonous gases, when drained and properly 
planted become completely transformed. Instead of 
regions of abominations and pestilence the trees act 
in purifying the air of its hurtful contents, in drying 
the too moist land and in diverting injurious cur¬ 
rents. Tree growth and vegeta’ion are one of Nature’s 
greatest means of sanitation. 
Seed Propulsion.—The methods adopted by seeds 
as their means of distribution form one of the most 
interesting chapters in botanical science. Some have 
parachutes attached to them as the Dandelion and 
other Compositae ; while yet other Composites have 
hooks as in the genus Bidens. Others are very 
temptingly coated or embedded in matter which is 
devoured, the seeds themselves beiDg excreted in dis¬ 
tant parts, and so on. It is of those which are pro¬ 
pelled to a distance that special notice is here made. 
The Witch Hazel is said to be very powerful in this 
repect; the seeds being shot forth to a distance of 
^5 ft! The common Gorse or Whin bursts its cap¬ 
sules with a loud report and the seeds fly off like 
miniature bomb-shells. Herb Robert and other 
Geraniums have similar means of propulsion, though 
on a lesser scale. The Wood Sorrel being in great 
quantity and gentle, to boot, forms an amusing 
diversion to children by its burstings. The Impa- 
tiens Roylei, a quick growing annual Balsam, forms 
another to the list of well-known and commonly-to- 
be-observed seed-shooting plants. The idea is that 
the seeds may fall into fresh soil. 
Notes from Hamilton.—We are having extremely 
severe winter weather just now. For the last ten 
days the frost has been very keen. On t wo occasions 
we registered 21° and 25° Fahr. The latter, which 
was on Friday night, the 9th inst., was a record 
frost in our experience. The *' Roaring Game ” is 
going ahead with great zest all around. On Friday 
snow began to fall, and now we have a covering of 
6 in. It was urgently needed to cover many things 
from the rigour of black frost. The members of the 
Hamilton Gardening and Forestry Association par¬ 
took of supper together in the Douglas and Clydes¬ 
dale Hotel, on the 9th inst., to mark the close of 
their first year's existence. Mr. Moir, Earnock, 
was in the chair, supported by Ex-Councillor Gib¬ 
son, and Mr. D. N. Cross. Mr. Graham acted as 
croupier. A pleasant evening was spent in toast and 
entertainment. Mr. Graham, in replying for the 
new association, said that by its success it had more 
than answered the reason for its existence, and he 
hoped it would continue, and aid in the progress of 
their art in the district. The monthly meeting was 
held in the Y.M.C.A. room, on Tuesday, the 6th 
inst., Mr. Graham, Coltness Gardens, presiding. A 
paper, entitled “ Hints to Young Gardeners,” was 
read by Mr. M'^uater, Millbeuch Gardens, Blan- 
tyre. There was a fair attendance of gardeners and 
others interested. While reading his paper he said 
that young gardeners with a love for their profession 
should never lose time. Reading and writing were 
m st useful recreations, and would prove most ad¬ 
vantageous to them.— Gamma. 
The Horticultural Club annual dinner was held 
on Tuesday evening, the 13th. A detailed report 
will be given next week. 
Dendrobium splendidissimum grandiflorum.— 
This beautiful hybrid Dendrobe still enjoys consider¬ 
able favour amongst collectors and connoisseurs of 
Orchids, and is, indeed, well worthy of a place 
amongst the most select collections of this gorgeous 
family of plants. A small piece of it was brought 
to the sale rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & Morris on 
the 9th inst., by Messrs. J. McBean & Sons, Cooks- 
bridge, Sussex, when it found a purchaser at nine 
guineas. 
Sweet Pea Bi-Centenary Celebration.—It is 
highly interesting and satisfactory to learn that the 
financial success of the projected Sweet Pea Bi- 
Centenary Celebration is already assured. The 
preliminary schedule of prizes has been thoroughly 
overhauled by the committee, and will shortly be 
issued in its present form ; so that we hope garden¬ 
ers will presently be on the outlook for it in order to 
prepare for making the exhibition an unqualified 
success, as far as they are concerned. A great many 
influential people throughout the country have 
already identified themselves with the issue of the 
celebration ; and we hope to be able to show the 
world that the country in which the Sweet Pea re¬ 
vival originated can celebrate the bi centenary of so 
sweet, useful, and popular a flower in befitting 
fashion. 
Bamboos at Glasgow.—As far as climate is con¬ 
cerned there seems no reason why Bamboos should 
not be successfully grown at Glasgow, even though 
"it sometimes snaws,” as the boy said, when not rain¬ 
ing. Bamboos have already been grown for some 
jears in one or two of the parks under the care cf 
tbe Corporation of Glasgow, and their success would 
seem to warrant a more liberal planting of the same. 
They furnish a kind of vegetation that would be diffi¬ 
cult to surpass in gracefulness by any other class of 
shrubs or woody vegetation that can be planted in 
the open air in this country. There are some of 
them in the Kibble Palace, in the Glasgow Botanic 
Gardens, but they chiefly, if not wholly, belong to 
Arundinaria Falconer), which is certainly a very 
slender and graceful species, but here liable to attain 
the flowering stage, after which it dies, practically 
after reaching perfection. Mr. Dewar, the curator, 
has very much at heart the idea of getting a collec¬ 
tion together for planting in the open ground in some 
sheltered position. A Bamboo garden, in a suitable 
position, and sheltered from cutting winds, would 
constitute a great source of attraction to the public. 
Maidenhead Mutual Improvement Society.—On 
Tuesday evening, February 6th, a very interesting 
and icstruciive paper was read before a very good 
attendance of the members by Mr. J. Gibson, head 
gardener to R W. Hudson, Esq., Danesfield, Great 
Marlow. Mr. Gibson appropriately commenced his 
paper by stating how few young gardeners of the 
present day cared to make themselves proficient in 
the art of raising vegetables fit for exhibition and 
home consumption. Perhaps one in fifty might be 
found competent in this respect, the other forty-nine 
caring only for work under glass. He then drew his 
listeners’ attention to the importance of gardeners 
throwing all their energy into this branch of the 
profession. Commencing with the Potato, the king 
of vegetables, he passed over very ably in the short 
time allowed him, Peas, Onions, Beans, Leeks, 
Celery, Tomatos and Brassica tribe, giving various 
cultural hints for exhibition vegetables and useful 
recipes for combating the attacks of the various 
iosect and fungoid pests, particularly drawing con¬ 
clusive evidence to a fact which he has always 
found to recommend itself in the cultivation of the 
Potato, viz., to resist disease, plant further apart 
in the rows and between sets so that the air and 
sun can do their prescribed work. On this paper 
a good deal of discussion ensued and much prac¬ 
tical good must come from such sound advice as 
that given by the lecturer. A fine lot of Primulas 
was staged by Mr. Challis, gardener to A. Kennedy, 
Esq., and gained the maximum number of points. 
A hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Gibson was unani¬ 
mously accorded. The next meeting will be on 
February 20th, when Mr. H. J. Jones, of Ryecroft 
Nursery, Lewisham, will discourse on Chrysanth¬ 
emums.— J. IV. Stone, Hon. Sec. 
