480 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 30, 1903. 
NEWS OF THE WEEK. 
A Rising Orchid. —Some time ago we mentioned am Odouto- 
glossum (O. crispum Persimmon) whdclr changed hands at 
Is. 6d., but when it bloomed it realised £1,000. A contem¬ 
porary now says that it is worth £2,000. We hope it is, but 
doubt whether anyone will be sufficiently convinced of it to 
advance the price. 
* * * 
Hamilton Square Gardens, Birkenhead.— These gardens, 
which have been compulsorily acquired by the Birkenhead Cor¬ 
poration as an open public space, have been thrown open in¬ 
formal ly for the last week or more, and in the early evenings 
the once-quiet square is enlivened by the voices of bright chil¬ 
dren revelling on the grassy plot whereupon they formerly gazed 
with longing eyes through a barrier of iron railings and closed 
The Victoria Medal of Honour. —The recent vacancy in the 
list of Victoria medallists has been filled up, according to our 
esteemed contemporary, “ The Gardeners’ Chronicle, by the 
conferment of that honour upon Mr. Robert Fenn, whose ser¬ 
vices to horticulture are well known in connection with the mi- 
provement of the Potato. He was better known to a former 
Generation'than the present, but we are pleased that his labouis 
have at last been recognised by placing him m the niche he 
riiiiilit have occupied years ago. 
* w * 
Mr. Peter Barr, after having, practically, travelled round 
the world, is again in his-old haunts amongst us, as hale and 
hearty as ever. During his peregrinations we gave several 
accounts of his doings, especially in Australia and feouth 
Africa, including a lengthy lecture on Lilies, which he delivered 
at the Cape. During his campaign he was much interviewed 
on various horticultural topics both in America, Australia, and 
South Africa, yet his arduous labours do not seem to have in¬ 
commoded him in any way, seeing that he comes back a 
vounger-looking mam 
J ° ° * * * 
Australian Fruit Colony.— An interesting report of the 
health of the famous fruit-growing settlement of Mildura, Aus¬ 
tralia, appears in the “Cultivator of the 29tli ult., iiom the 
pen of its medical officer, Dr. W. J. Cameron, a native of New¬ 
burgh, Fife. The death-rate is under 18 per 1,000, and has 
been larger than usual owing to children’s illnesses._ Typhoid, 
due, apparently, to impure water and defective drainage, still 
troubles the colonists in their hot season. The climate is dry 
and salubrious, and the fruit industry under irrigation, though 
changing from Apricots and Peaches to Grapes, Raisins, Cur¬ 
rants^ etc., is showing indications of reviving prosperity. 
* * * 
Trees in London Streets. —The new streets which are being 
created by the London County Council in connection, with the 
Holhorn to Strand scheme are not to be treeless. For some 
time past the Improvement Committee have had the matter 
under consideration, and it has been decided that m the 
widened Strand, where some Plane trees have already been 
planted, only Planes shall be used; that Plane trees and 
Acacias shall be planted alternately in Aldwych, and Plan© and 
Ailanthus trees alternately in King sway. 
* * * 
Death of Mr. Charles Kershaw. —The death took place at 
six o’clock o.n May 17th of Mr. Charles Kershaw, landscape 
gardener, of the Slead Syke Nurseries, Brighouse. Mr. Ker¬ 
shaw, who was in his eighty-fourth year, was one of the best 
known landscape gardeners in the North of England, and sixty 
years ago began to lay the foundations of the present extensive 
business now carried on by his three sons. He came of a re¬ 
markable family of gardeners, and obtained -a. position of con¬ 
siderable eminence in his business. In private life* he was 
highly esteemed, and his conversation, interlarded with 
pleasant recollections of the conditions of life in the West 
Riding, Yorks., covering a period of seventy years, was always 
interesting and informing. 
* * 45- 
Fruit from the Colonies. —-We hear that a small company 
has been privately formed in London to undertake the impor¬ 
tation "of fruit from the Colonies', and more ©specially from 
.Canada. -It is intended, we understand, to make a speciality 
of importing ripe Tomatos from Canada, and they will also 
endeavour to place Canadian Grapes and Peaches on the 
English market at popular prices. We have frequently drawn 
attention to the anomaly of seeing Californian fruit offered for 
sale in London fruiterers’ at fancy prices, when a superior 
article can be obtained from Canada at considerably less cost 
and we are glad to see that an effort is to he made to make 
Canadian fruit better known in this country. 
* * * 
Honouring an Eminent Horticulturist. —Mr. Thomas 
Lunt, who recently completed fifty years’ service as head gar¬ 
dener to Sir M. R. Shaw Stewart, Bart., Ardgowan, Ren¬ 
frewshire, was on May 21st met by a number of friends in the 
Royal British Hotel, Edinburgh, and presented with a hand¬ 
some purse of sovereigns. The chair was taken by Air. David 
Mitchell, in the absence of Mr. Maohray, Kelly, and the-pre¬ 
sentation made by Mr. J. Fraser Smith, head gardener to the 
Countess of Sea,held, at Cullen House, Banffshire, one of Mr. 
Lunt’s oldest assistants. In the course of his remarks Mr. 
Smith took occasion to refer to the large number of young 
gardeners that Mr. Lunt had passed through his hands during 
the past half-century, and the benefits which he had conferred 
on horticulture at large, both by precept and example. Many 
of the young men, who received their first training at Ard¬ 
gowan now occupy prominent position's in the horticultural 
world, among whom might be mentioned his two sons, one of 
whom, is a well-known Grape and Chrysanthemum grower at 
Keir, near Stirling, and the other head gardener to the Duke of 
Buccleuch at- Bow-hill. 
* * * 
An Amazon of Kew. —Working like a Trojan amid the green 
grasses and spung blossoms of Kew Gardens may be seen just 
now a Jady in man’s attire who is employed as a “boy” 
gardener at a salary of 10s. per week (says the n Daily 
Express ”). Her name is Miss Smith, and she is there by per¬ 
mission of the director, who allows ladies on the gardening 
staff on condition that they work in male costume. Very at¬ 
tractive and comfortable she looked when seen seated on tire 
edge of a Cucumber frame- digging weeds out of flower-pots. 
She was clad in a grey flannel shirt with a turn-down- collar 
and green, bow tie, a, dark waistcoat, blue serge knickerbockers 
fastened just below the knee, dark blue- stockings, and heavy 
garden boots. Her coat was lying in a shed near by, and her 
sleeves were rolled up above the elbow. She wore, somewhat 
rakishly tilted forward, a workman’s blue cap, while a wealth 
of light chestnut hair was done up- in a knot behind. Miss 
Smith’s particular work is to look after the herbaceous and 
alpine plant department, but she soon hopes to be an adept at, 
every branch of the work, from hoeing a Potato- patch to rear¬ 
ing the rarest Orchid. Though there is only one lady gardener 
at present employed at Kew, there have, at various periods 
recently, been four or five on the staff. One of these was pro¬ 
moted to the post of sub-foreman, and had a number of men 
under her charge. Another fell in love with a male co¬ 
worker, who is said to have proposed to her in the tropical plant 
house. The pair are married, and are at present in charge of a 
marquis’s garden. 
TV Tf & 
The Gardeners’ Reception and Dinner, Holborn 
Restaurant, London, September 29th, 1903.—The following 
circular has been sent to- 700 representative gardeners of the 
United Kingdom and Ireland:—■“ You have probably seen in 
the gardening papers mention of a proposal to arrange, a recep¬ 
tion and dinner in London, for gardeners- specially, and other 
horticulturists in general, on the first day, September 29th, of 
the great fruit and vegetable exhibition of the Royal Horticul 
tural Society at Chiswick. This show may offer a last oppor¬ 
tunity to see the old gardens. With a, view to popularise this 
proposal, and to render the function a complete success, the 
kindly co-operation and assistance of the leading gardeners and 
the horticultural trade of Great Britain and Ireland is cordially 
invited. We beg, therefore, to ask you to be pleased to act as a 
provincial steward for your locality, and to use your special in¬ 
fluence in securing the sale of tickets, and in promoting interest 
generally in the dinner and gathering. Tickets will be 5s. each. 
Ordinary morning dress worn. Every effort will be made to 
render this reception and festival of exceptional enjoyment 
and gratification, and it is hoped it will lead to the kindliest 
social intercourse amongst all attending. The reception will 
commence at 6.30 n.m., and the dinner in, the famous King’s 
Hall at 7 p.m. Please to kindly favour the secretary with, we 
trust, an early and a favourable, reply. Tn all cases cheques or 
postal orders, payable to- Mr. James Hudson, must accompany 
applications. (Signed) Owen Thomas, V.M.H., chairman; 
James Hudson, Y.M.H.. treasurer; Alexander Dean, secretary, 
62, Richmond Road, Kingston-on-Thames.” 
