May 16,1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
433 
Society and Association Notes and News. 
Early intimation of meetings and reports 
will be esteemed by the Editor at 37 & 38, 
Shoe Lane. 
Temple Flower Show, May 26th, 27th, and 28th. —Intending 
exhibitors are requested to note that entries for the above show 
close on Monday, May 18th, and that all entry forms should 
reach the office before 11 a.m on that day. No plants can under 
any circumstances be entered on the day of the show, but single 
plants, etc., for Certificate may be entered as late as Thursday, 
May 21st. Address, Secretary, R.H.S. Office, 117, Victoria 
Street, London, S.W. 
* * * 
until cut off by frost. A good discussion by the members fol¬ 
lowed the lecture, and the questions asked were ably replied to 
by Mr. Jones, who won from all present a most hearty vote oi 
thanks for his kindness in coming to lecture before this society. 
A well-grown Cattleya Mossiae was exhibited by Mr. C. Perrett, 
and six new members were elected. The next paper is on May 
19th, when Mr. W. Turney will give a paper on “ Popular Horti¬ 
culture.” 
* * * 
Royal Horticultural Society - . —The next fruit and flower 
show of the Royal Horticultural Society will be held on Tuesday, 
May 19th, in the Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, Westminster, at 
1 till 5 p.m. A special exhibition of Tulips will also be held 
under the auspices of the National Tulip Society at the same time 
and place. A schedule of the prizes offered, with particulars as 
to the conditions of entry, etc., cam be obtained on application to 
A. D. Hall, Esq., The Oast House, Harpenden. A conference on 
“English Tulips” will be held at 3 o’clock. At a general meet¬ 
ing of the Royal Horticultural Society, held on Tuesday, May 
5th, seventy-four new Fellows were elected, among them being the 
Marquis Camden, the Viscountess Cranbome, the Viscountess 
Downe, the Lady Rayleigh, Lady Church, Lady Walker, and the 
Hon. A. H. T. de Montmorency, M.D., making a total of 679 
elected since the beginning of the present year. 
* -*■ * 
National Auricula and Primula Society'. —At the Coal Ex¬ 
change, in the Market Place, Manchester, on the 1st inst., the 
annual show of the National Auricula Society, Northern Section, 
was held. March and April have not been good months for the 
pursuit of floriculture, and the fine condition in which the 
majority of the plants and blooms were staged spoke eloquently 
of the skill and devotion brought to bear by the exhibitors upon 
their special branch of gardening. It is almost unnecessary again 
to remind Lancashire people that theAuricula was brought from 
the Low Countries some centuries back by the weavers, who, to 
escape religious persecution in their own localities, came to 
pursue their avocations in this part of England. In Middleton, 
Rochdale, and Halifax particularly, the cultivation of the type 
became popular, and within a district circling about those towns 
is the northern home of the Auricula to-day. During the last 
century the progress made by growers in development of blooms 
has been remarkable, and the mere outsider is struck with 
astonishment by the wondrous variations in size and colour that 
have been obtained. 
* * * 
Croydon and District Horticultural Mutual Improvement 
Society. —On Tuesday, May 5th, the members of this society held 
their usual fortnightly meeting at the Sunflower Temperance 
Hotel, George Street, and were well entertained by a most lucid 
and splendidly delivered lecture on “ Sweet Peas,” which was con¬ 
tributed by Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft Nurseries, Lewisham. Mr. 
Jones, in opening his subject, paid due attention to the prepara¬ 
tion of the ground, which should be commenced in the autumn 
by well trenching and a plentiful supply of well rotted manure, 
such as a spent hotbed or of similar decay, with the addition of a 
little bone meal, leaving the top spit in ridge's for the frost and 
air to well pulverise. The seed sowing ope -ation could be 
commenced in February, and with the average season these would 
flower about the middle of June. As soon as the seedlings ap¬ 
peared above the ground put in small twigs along tlie rows or 
clumps and afterwards add the taller sticks, 5ft. to 6ft. in height, 
as the growth increased. For a top dressing he advocated the 
mixture of bone meal and Peruvian guano mixed together and 
applied at the rate of 141bs. to one bushel of soil, which should 
he well watered in. At all times when applying water give the 
rows or clumps a thoroughly good soaking to enhance the deep 
rooting of the plant. When the plants commenced to bloom he 
found it very beneficial to pinch out the leader of the plant, so 
that all nutriment went into the flowering stems. For a continua¬ 
tion of bloom care should be taken to remove all seed pods as soon 
as appearing, and another useful hint was when the plants are 
beginning to look fagged and almost spent cut them back to about 
2ft. above the ground, withholding liquid manure for about a 
week or two, and so resting them. Afterwards apply a plentiful 
supply of stimulants to the roots, and the result, would be they 
would break forth into new growth, and so continue the bloom 
The Dulwich Chry'santiiemum Society has had a very success¬ 
ful season, and the appreciation of members in the executive is 
well shown by their re-election of 10 out of 12 members of the 
1902 committee, and 5 out of 6 of the officers. The ninth annual 
balance-sheet and report of the committee were unanimously 
approved at the recent annual meeting. A slight increase of 
membership was recorded, and although a large increase was 
made in the prize list, an improvement in the balance was re¬ 
corded as the result of the year’s working. The balance of assets 
over liabilities amounts to £43 9s. 8d. The schedule for 1903 
shows a further marked increase in the classes and sections, and 
should command enhanced support from the membersi for their 
tenth exhibition. The general meetings of the society have been 
well attended throughout the year, discussions and papers of 
an interesting character being a frequent feature, Mr. Mills, of 
Croydon, recently-giving a most interesting paper on “ The Culti¬ 
vation of the Japanese Chrysanthemums for Exhibition.” The 
continued improvement in this society shows that the often sug¬ 
gested reason for the ill-success of Chrysanthemum societies, viz., 
lack of interest in the Chrysanthemum, is inactive in the South 
London district. 
* * ■* 
Scottish Horticultural Association.— The monthly meeting 
of the above association was held in Dowell’s Rooms, Edinburgh, 
on, Tuesday, 5th inst,, Mr. J. W. McHattie, the president, in the 
chair. Mr. Richard Dean, V.M.H., F.R.H.S. (Ealing, London), 
delivered a lecture on “ Floriculture and Florists of the Past 
Fifty Years.” Mr. Dean expressed the opinion that the golden 
age of horticulture extended from 1825 to 1880. The lecturer 
d'evoted the first part of his lecture to a brief review of gardening 
periodicals, and some of the leading contributors to them. 
Several horticulturists of the past half century were next dealt 
with, as also a number of leading horticultural organisations. 
Mr. Dean remarked that Scotland had not been behind in the 
matter of horticultural literature. Dealing with Scottish horti¬ 
culturists, mention was made among other names of Davil 
Thomson, Chas. Mackintosh, and Jas. McNab. Dealing with 
florist flowers, Mr. Dean referred to the fact that in the case of 
Ranunculus and Auriculas they had had their constitutions 
weakened to a great extent through inbreeding in the attempt to 
improve the quality of the flowers. Calceolarias, Carnations, 
Cinerarias, Fuchsias, and Gloxinias were then dealt with. 
Speaking of the Fuchsia, Mr. Dean thinks the I uchsia has now 
been brought to such perfection that it is almost incapable of 
further improvement. Dealing with the Pansy and Viola, the 
lecturer reminded the meeting that Mr. Jas. Grieve (who was on 
the platform bale and hearty) began in 1862 the improvement of 
the Viola. The lecturer devoted the latter part of his lecture to 
plants, which he characterised as epoch-making subjects, and 
these included the fancy Pansy, the Japanese Chrysanthemum, 
Clematis Jackmanii, Begonia boliviensis, Hippeastrum, Dahlia 
Juarezii, and the Sweet Pea. The lecture was listened to with 
rapt attention by a large audience, and on the motion of - i. 
Chas. Comfort, Mr. Dean was accorded a hearty vote of thanks 
for his lecture. Mr. Dean was unanimously elected an honorary- 
life member of the association. The exhibits on the table in¬ 
cluded one from Messrs. Todd and Co., a floral design in the form 
of a crown, composed of yellow and white Violas, scarlei Pelai- 
coniums, and a large bowl of Wallflower Vulcan, which received 
a Cultural Certificate. From Messrs. Scarlett, Inveresk, came six 
heads of a fine compact, pure white, new Broccoli, of which the 
firm has the entire stock. They have named it Superlative and 
it received a Certificate of Merit, This firm, and Mr Jas. Mat- 
tison Carlekemp, North Berwick, sent each a dish oi Mushrooms 
from’the open air. The exhibit of the latter gentleman was very 
fine. From Messrs. R. B. Laird and Sons came several trusses of 
Rhododendron Walkerii. There were several other exhibits, all 
of interest in their way. 
