472 
March 23, 1901, 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
engaged a master from Edinburgh to teach 
him the latter tongue. Even at this age, 
however, his taste for landscape gardening 
began to display itself by the pleasure he 
took in laying out a small garden his father 
had given him, in the form of walks and 
beds. About this time a jar of Tamarinds 
came from an uncle in the West Indies, and 
John gave his share of the fruit to the 
other children on condition that he should 
have all the seeds for his garden. While 
yet a mere child he was sent to live with an 
uncle in Edinburgh so that he might 
attend classes at the public schools. Here 
he soon took a liking to Latin and made 
wonderful progress in drawing and arith¬ 
metic. Botany and chemistry were also 
taken up, his copious notes being supple¬ 
mented by clever pen-and-ink sketches. 
When he was fourteen his uncle was show¬ 
ing a fine French engraving to a friend and 
asked his nephew to translate the title. So 
mortified was young Loudon at his own ig¬ 
norance that he resolved to master the lan¬ 
guage. His love of independence prevented 
him from appealing to his father to finance 
him for the purpose; yet he actually paid 
his teacher by the sale of a translation of-a 
French work he made for the editor of a 
periodical then being published in Edin¬ 
burgh. A knowledge of Italian was also 
acquired and paid for in the same manner. 
At the age of thirteen he commenced keep¬ 
ing a journal or diary, writing it in French 
so as to get familiar with the same ; and 
for nearly thirty years he continued to 
make entries in it in one language or 
another. 
■ Writing and drawing were his most 
favourite studies while he remained in 
Edinburgh. His teacher in the former 
study wrote to Mr. Loudon, sen., prophesy¬ 
ing that his son would become one of the 
best writers of his day, and this has been 
realised though not exactly in the form 
implied by his teacher. Such progress did 
he make in drawing that when his father 
at last consented to bring up his son as a 
landscape gardener, the latter was already 
competent to take the situation of draughts¬ 
man and assistant to Mr. John Mawer, at 
Easter Dairy, near Edinburgh. Mr. Mawer 
was a nurseryman as well as landscape 
gardener, so that Mr. Loudon at once came 
in direct contact with gardening, particu¬ 
larly the management of hothouses. Before 
he had completed his sixteenth year his 
master died, and for the next three or four 
years we find him in the employment of 
Mr. Dickson in Leith Walk, with whom he 
boarded, and in course of time acquired an 
excellent knowledge of plants. Here Mr. 
Loudon would seem to have commenced the 
practice of long hours of study, for he sat 
up two nights a week, drinking strong tea 
to keep him awake, this being kept up for 
many years. During his stay with Mr. 
Dickson he attended botany, chemistry and 
agriculture classes. Dr. Coventry was the 
professor of agriculture, and considered 
Loudon his most promising pupil. Amongst 
letters probably treasured up by his mother, 
many were found bearing ample testimony 
to his proficiency in many branches of learn¬ 
ing from his various teachers. Like many 
of his countrymen, Loudon was a man of 
few words, and never made a display of his 
learning, though possessing a vast store of 
information on every subject which he 
studied. 
(To be continued.) 
— - 
The next Fruit and Flower Show of the Royal 
Horticultural Society will be held on Tuesday, 
March 26th, in the Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, 
Westminster, 1—5 p.m. A lecture on " Inconspicu¬ 
ous and Rarely Cultivated Orchids " will be given by 
Mr. W. H. White, A.R.H.S., at 3 o’clock. 
Crystal Palace Fruit Show.—The prize schedule 
for this show will be issued in a week or ten days by 
the Royal Horticultural Society, and will contain an 
authoritative list of dessert and cooking Apples, 
Pears, and Plums, post free, one penny. Donations 
towards the prize fund will be gratefully received by 
the society. 
Large Gardenias.—Some magnificent blooms of 
Gardenias, the largest we have seen, accompanied 
Mr. H. Fleming’s article on " Gardenias ”in another 
column. They belonged to the variety Gardenia 
florida Fortunei, the largest of a'l the double varie¬ 
ties in cultivation. The blooms were like good sized 
Tea Roses, pure white at first, fading to creamy 
yellow with age, and deliciously fragrant. This 
variety should find its way into every collection 
where Gardenias find favour. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At the Royal 
Horticultural Society's meeting to be held on April 
9th, in the Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, special 
prizes will be offered for Daffodils, open to amateurs 
and gentlemen’s gardeners only. First prize, a £7 7s. 
Silver Cup, presented to the society by Messrs. Barr 
& Sons ; second prize, R.H.S Silver Flora Medal. 
Group of Daffodil Blossoms (Polyanthus varie¬ 
ties excluded) : — Must include some of each section, 
Magni-, Medii- and Parvi-Coronate ; must contain 
at least fifty varieties distinct, of thirty of which at 
least three blooms each must be shown. Not more 
than nine blooms of any one variety may be put up. 
To be] staged in bottles, vases or tubes not exceed¬ 
ing 3 in. in diameter at the top (inside measurement), 
and all the stems must touch tbe water. Quality of 
flower will count more than quantity, and correct 
naming and tasteful arrangement will be duly con¬ 
sidered. Any foliage may be used, Daffodil or other¬ 
wise. No prize will be awarded unless there are two 
competitors at least. 
Victoria Medal of Honour in Horticulture.—The 
Victoria Medal of Honour in Horticulture was es¬ 
tablished in the year 1897 with the assent of her 
Most Gracious Majesty the late Queen Victoria, in 
commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of her reign, 
and the limit of 60 Victoria Medalists at any one 
time was fixed to record that event. It has now 
seemed good to the president and council to issue a 
minute and order of council that the number of 
Victoria Medalists shall be increased to 63, as a 
record for all years to come of the 63 years of her 
late Majesty's glorious reign, and that such number 
should never hereafter be added to or increased. 
There having been one vacancy in the original 
number at the time of her Majesty’s death, the 
president and council, acting on the above minute 
and order, have made the following appointments to 
the list of Victoria Medalists, viz : Miss Eleanor A. 
Ormerod, LL.D., &c., Sir George King, K.C.E.I., 
M.B., F.R.H.S., F.L.S., &c, Mr. George Norman, 
F.R.H.S., and Mr. Jas. Sweet, F.R.H.S. 
Messrs. Laing & Sons’ Primulas. — Chinese 
Primulas are amorjgst the flowers now in season. A 
boxful of the different types grown by Messrs. J, 
Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, London, S.E., has reached 
us, and shows blooms of large size and many rich 
shades of colouring. In their ordinary strain we note 
white, white lightly flaked purple, pink, carmine, 
vermilion, and purple varieties of different shades of 
colouring. The flaked variety was notable for size, 
measuring 2\ in. across the pip. There is a consider¬ 
able amount of variation in the eye of these flowers. 
Another strain, named Laing's Gigantic, was repre¬ 
sented by red, white, and rose varieties, all of large 
size and good substance. The white one was very 
fine and characterised by a large, circular deep 
yellow eye. The red was really of a carmine-red of 
rich hue, and the rose variety had a good deal of 
salmon in it. Double varieties that can be raised 
from seeds were represented by white, deep salmon- 
rose, and carmine flowers. These last longer in 
good condition than the single varieties. The 
Messrs. Laing are evidently striving to be up-to-date 
in the mattef of Chinese Primulas, and now grow 
what they term " stellata hybrids,” represented by 
starry white, mauve, and salmon-rose flowers. The 
coloured ones arc all notable for having a pale crim¬ 
son zone round the eye. This latter strain is of 
taller and more elegant growth than the modern 
highly developed or pedigreed Primulas, and finds 
favour with many cultivators. 
Linen, to the extent of 140,000,000 yards, is pro" 
duced in Ireland annually; only 45,000,000 yards in 
England. 
Sweet Pea Society.—I shall be obliged if you will 
announce in your columns that the adjourned 
meeting to be held next Tuesday at Winchester 
House, E.C., has been abandoned, as the Bicenten¬ 
ary Committee are calling a meeting for 2 30 p.m. on 
the same day at the Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, 
S.W., to form a National Sweet Pea Society.— 
Charles E. Wilkins. 
Hamilton and District Gardeners—Concerning 
a " dance,” said to have been held by the young 
gardeners of the Hamilton and District Association, 
p.421, we are instructed by thesecretary,Mr.David M. 
Burns, to state that the “ Hamilton and District 
Gardeners' Association ” had no connection whatever 
with the dance; and secondly that the name of 
Innes should be inserted in place of Jones as one of 
the M.C.’s. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At a general meet¬ 
ing of the Royal Horticultural Society held on 
Tuesday, March 12th, thirty-two new Fellows were 
elected, making a total of two hundred since the 
beginning of the present year ; amongst them being 
the Duchess of Somerset, Viscountess Baring, Sir 
William Preece, K.C.B., F R.S., Lady Hylton, Hon. 
H. A. Lawrence, and Surgeon-Major Caldwell, M D. 
Proposed National Sweet Pea Society—Im¬ 
portant Notice —Under the chairmanship of Mr. G. 
Gordon, V.M.H., the executive committee of the 
Sweet Pea Bicentenary Celebration held a meeting 
at the Hotel Windsor, on Tuesday afternoon. The 
publication of the complete report was first dealt 
with, and tenders having been received and discussed 
that of Mr. W. Etherington, Central Printing 
Works, Wandsworth, was accepted. The work will 
be put in hand at once. The question as to the 
desirability of forming a National Sweet Pea Society 
was unanimously decided in the affirmative. A 
deputation from the meeting, held at Winchester 
House last week, was received with a view to col¬ 
laboration, and the promoters were invited to attend 
a public meeting on Tuesday, March 26th, at 2.30 
p.m.. at the Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, when 
the matter will be fully discussed, and a society be 
duly constituted. The promoters of the city meeting 
decided to abandon their scheme in favour of that of 
the committee. The committee trust that the meet¬ 
ing will be a thoroughly representative one. 
Ealing and District Gardeners’ Society.—A very 
successful meeting of this society was held on the 
12th inst., Mr. H. Burgess in the chair. Mr. A. 
Wait, Superintendent of Kensington Cemetery, Han- 
well, discoursed on “ Bidding Plants.” In addition 
to some of the common subjects usually found in 
such a position, he gave particulars of some others 
generally known as sub-tropical plants, with which 
such fine effects are produced in public parks and 
gardens. Mr. Wait also gave some hints on propa¬ 
gation and culture, with a view to elicit discussion, 
in which he succeeded, for the resuhant arguments 
went to show that success might be attained in 
different ways. After an excellent discussion in 
which Messrs. Edwards, Wood, Long, Chaffer, 
Holloway, Anton, Freebrey, Newell, GreeD, Roberts 
and the Chairman took part, Mr. Wait received a 
cordial vote of thanks. An exhibition of twelve pots 
of spring-flowering plants produced a fine display, 
for which the society are indebted to R. Callard, 
Esq. The first prize was well earned by Mr. Hollo¬ 
way, gardener to E. Hyde, Esq., of Castlebar, who 
had some large examples of Indian and Ghent 
Azaleas, Star Primulas, Clivias, Narcissus and 
Coelogyne cristata ; while Mr. Long, gardener to E. 
P. Oaksbott, Esq., of Montpelier Road, was second 
with a smaller but compact group of mostly bulbous 
plants. In Mr. Long’s collection, however, was a 
fine variety of Richardia aethiopica, which he had 
obtained direct from India. The habit is so good 
and the spathes so large and free that Mr. Long has 
decided to grow this to the exclusion of the common 
form. A Cultural Certificate was recommended. 
Mr. Woods was third. Mr. Hogg, gardener to A. 
Dixon, Esq., Madeley Road, received a vote of 
thanks and Cultural Certificate for a fine piece of 
Laelia anceps alba with three spikes and ten 
flowers. 
