May 4, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WO RED. 
577 
another celebrated grower, Mr. Vaughton, who was 
also away, as he did not care to come without bring¬ 
ing any flowers, owing to the bad season, but he 
would have much pleasure in calling upon Mr. 
Douglas to say a few words in reference to this 
toast. Speaking of himself he said he had a love 
and inclination for these old florist flowers; for he 
remembered in his early youth in the neighbourhood 
of where he was living, verging the black country, 
seeing the poorer class growing these flowers, and 
the enthusiastic way in which, too, they looked after 
them; it was what was known to him as the 
artisan's flower, and they were very keen in their 
judgment upon the climate, light, and lines, and 
therefore when it was suggested to bring this society 
in connection with the Midland Society, he was only 
too pleased to subscribe and briDg forward the 
enthusiasm of this old and beautiful flower, and he 
would do all in his power to maintain and encourage 
the growth of what he should call the artisan's 
flower. 
Mr. Douglas said it gave him great pleasure 
indeed to come amongst the company and to bring a 
few Auriculas to show against the Midland growers. 
Of course, he has been growing Auriculas now for 
some thirty-eight years, and in that time he had got 
together a good collection, and yet he did not care 
to part with the old class; and, of course, in grow¬ 
ing that number of years he learnt a good deal, 
but at the same time he was always willing to give 
any knowledge to advantage freely to others either 
through the medium of the schedule or in any way 
to the papers. It had been a great pleasure to him 
to see such a splendid show. Taken altogether the 
Daffodils were very fine indeed. He felt very grati¬ 
fied with the Midland Society and show they had 
got together in so short a time, and he thought 
whether it was not possible to have a Daffodil 
society like this in the south. Mr. Barr and others 
could no doubt be got together to start a southern 
Daffodil society, get up a schedule like this and take 
the Midlanders as an example. He would be pleased 
to help such a show, and he believes we could rival 
one another; but do not suppose we could get up 
to the Midland Society, but—(laughter)—I am not 
so sure—if the southerners take up anything they do 
it thoroughly, they do not do things by half, and he 
would like to see the Auricula Society with a larger 
number of members. He was sure the secretary 
was a thorough enthusiast, and he was pleased to 
bear what Mr. Pope said in connection to the 
artisan class. 
Mr. R. Sydenham said in proposing the toast of 
‘‘The Visitors” he was very gratified indeed to see so 
many exhibitors and visitors amongst them, and he 
felt more than pleased to see such worthy Daffodil 
growers as Mr. P. D. Williams, Mr. J. T. Bennett 
Pee, Mr. F. W.Burbidge, M.A., and other members 
there. He had hardly expected to have had the 
pleasure of their company at the dinner that evening, 
but would ask all to drink the health of the visitors, 
and to couple with it the names of Mr. W. P. Wright, 
of the horticultural Press; also another name, 
Mr. P. D. Williams, of Cornwall. 
Mr. Wright, in responding, said he felt that the 
duty placed upon him was a very heavy one, 
because he bad to speak for a great many besides 
himself, other visitors from all parts of the country, 
east, south, north, and west, and he hoped in ex¬ 
pressing the following to-night he would give satisfac¬ 
tion ; he thought they would all agree on one or two 
particular points. He referred to the dinner given 
by Mr. Sydenham the night previously, and then 
again to-night by that gentleman and Mr. Pope, and 
it was always a pleasure to come to Birmingham, as 
they were so well looked after and so hospitably 
treated. He came last year for the first time in 
connection with the society, and he had made up his 
mind that if he was invited another year he should 
come again, and he would only have one regret in 
years to come in looking back that he had missed 
the first show of the Midland Daffodil Society. With 
regard to Mr. Sydenham’s remarks as to the industry 
of growing bulbs, he wondered whether he was 
speaking of the Daffodils alone, or whether he 
included such bulbs as Snowdrops, Hyacinths, and 
Tulips; he considered we had a future before us. 
With regard to these beautiful flowers, he had 
visited all the bulb farms in Holland for many years, 
and he thought it would be a splendid thing if v:e 
could extend that industry in this country in a com¬ 
mercial sense. There was one question, and that 
was the education, and perhaps we should have t° 
do as they had to do in the olden times to get one 
or two of these gentlemen to come over here and 
learn us a little in regard to growing Tulips, 
Hyacinths, &c. In reference to the Auricula, he had 
never given them much attention until last year. 
Mr. R. Dean, of Ealing, sent him a series of articles, 
and he was astonished at the number of enquiries 
coming from all parts of the country and all classes 
of people; he did not know whether it was the 
popularity of the flower or the popularity of the 
Dean of Ealing, and he thought the future of the 
Auricula would be as prominent or more prominent 
than it had been in the past. 
Mr. P. D. Williams said he would not trouble the 
company with a long speech, but he felt that he 
ought to thank all most heartily for the kind way in 
which they had received the visitors ; the liberality 
had been most unbounded, and the management of 
the show should always be an attraction to the 
public, because in his opinion it was managed most 
excellently. In his part of the country, the West of 
Cornwall, they were to an advantage in the way of 
climate, and were able to get earlier flowers than the 
Midland does; it was an industry, and a great 
industry in Cornwall, and the number ot bulbs there 
grown was very great indeed ; there were no nursery¬ 
men, there was practically none. 
Then followed a discussion and papers upon the 
enthusiasm of Daffodils in grass. Mr. Barr read a 
most interesting and concise paper upon this mode 
of growing Daffodils ; he said the great thing about 
cultivation in the grass was the evenness of tempera¬ 
ture maintained and that the soil was not liable to 
be.lifted with frost; Daffodils, he said, seemed partial 
to shade, although it depended upon the kind of soil 
in which they were grown. He said that his father 
in his papers on his travels on the Pyrenees, saw 
invariably that the Daffodils grew with a northern 
aspect in a loamy soil. Fora manure he thoroughly 
recommended and believed in sulphate of potash. 
Mr. Burbidge said that so much had been said by 
Mr. Barr in his paper upon the subject, which was 
so remarkably clear and remarkably well read, that 
he had not much more to add. There were one or 
two points it was very wise of him to allude to, and 
that is the grass as being less liable to be sun baked 
and less liable to be lifted by frost; the grass seemed 
to have a big quality chemically and mechanically 
in keeping the soil in a thoroughly heal hy and pare 
condition, and he made allusion to the time they had 
been preserved for practically centuries where they 
were growing in the grass rather than in cultivated 
gardens. There was another question that Mr. 
Barr touched upon, and that was the aspect; it was 
not always the class of Daffodil facing the north in 
Europe which proved the case, for nine times out of 
ten he had found them facing the south or south 
east, but this was generally in little declivities of the 
mountain or hillside where the alluvium has been 
washed down. The question of manure was a very 
wide one; very often they do not want manure at 
all ; the one manure be used was burnt refuse from 
the garden, and he found this very efficacious as a 
top dressing, preferable in spring. He had only one 
regret that Professor Hillbouse was not with them, 
owing to ill health and his doctor not permitting him 
to be present; he only hoped his health would 
improve and enable him to continue to carry on the 
noble work of horticulture that he had hitherto done 
in Birmingham. 
There were also other discussions on the fungi or 
fairy ring appearing in the grass, which was detri¬ 
mental and weakened the growth of the Daffodil. 
Hearty tributes of thanks to the donors of the 
fund brought an enjoyable evening to a close. 
OBITUARY. 
Mrs. Baker. 
It is with deep regret we record the death of Mrs. 
Baker, wife of Mr. John Gilbert Baker, F.R.S, 
F.L.S , of 3, Cumberland Road, Ke w, and late keeper 
of the Herbarium, Royal Gardens, Kew. Mrs. 
Baker had been suffering for months past from an 
ailment from which ultimate recovery was impossible. 
Having undergone an operation some time ago she 
obtained temporary relief, but succumbed on the 
20th ult. We are sure that all gardeners, and they 
are many, who had any acquaintance with Mr. 
Baker, when lecturing or speaking on various 
occasions at the meetings and conferences of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, will sympathise with 
him io this his irreparable loss. Mr. Baker has 
also done horticulture inestimable services on many 
other occasions by his extensive writings on the 
botany of the art, describing and classifying hun¬ 
dreds of popular garden plants, so that gardeners 
throughout the land must know him by repute if not 
in person. 
Mr. David T. Fish. 
We grieve at the loss of Mr. D. T. Fish, of 12, 
Fettes Row, Edinburgh, who died at his residence 
on the 22nd ult. 
For many years he was gardener to T. Milner 
Gibson, Esq., Hardwicke Hall, Bury St. Edmunds, 
Suffolk, until he retired to Edinburgh. He was a 
man of marked character amongst men, gardeners in 
particular, whom he had entertained for well nigh 
half a century by his writings in the horticultural 
press and by his speeches at many a horticultural 
and festive gathe ing. He had been a const int con- 
tributer to our contemporary The Gardeners' Chronicle 
for forty years, and continued so till quite recently, 
which will give our younger readers some idea of 
the great length of his career. In his heyday he 
was markedly popular, and consequently was well 
received at all meetings wheie gardeners were 
assembled at flower shows and on festive occasions 
where he was generally called upon to speak. Alter 
retiring he occupied part of his time in lecturing for 
county councils in England and Scotland. On all 
gardening matters he had much to tell his fellow men 
of the profession. Latterly he did much by writing 
and speaking for the advancement of co-operative 
gardening, so that his wide circle of friends will join 
with us in offering our condolences to his bereaved 
relatives. 
Mr. John Thomson. 
We sincerely regret to announce the death of Mr. 
John Thomson, of the firm of Messrs. William 
Thomson & Sons, Tweed Vineyards, Clovenfords, 
Galashiels, at his residence on the morning of the 
27th ult. He was the youngest son of the late Mr. 
William Thomson, the founder of the firm, and who 
was previous to that time gardener to the Duke of 
Buccleuch, at Dalkeith Palace. The deceased was 
also brother to Mr. William Thomson, Jun., who 
died some time ago. 
Mr. John Thomson was never a very strong man, 
having in his time suffered from different ailments, 
and his lamented death took place after a long 
illness. The news, we are sure, will be received with 
deep grief by a wide circle of friends ; for he was a 
kind-hearted, straightforward gentleman, frank and 
genial with every one with whom he came in contact, 
widely known and much respected by those in the 
district where he lived on the classic banks of the 
Tweed, and close to where Sir Walter Scott com¬ 
menced his celebrated and chequered career as a 
novelist and poet. He leaves a widow and daughter 
to mourn his untimely loss, cut off as it were in the 
midst of life. 
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The Editor would be much obliged if competitors 
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