1052 
TUB GARDENING WORLD. 
December 19, 1903. 
BORDER DISTRICT CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY 
The annual general meeting of the above society was held 
at St. Boswells on Saturday last. A good muster of members 
were present, and were highly gratified to hear from the 
treasurer's report that the show held recently at Hawick was 
a great success financially, as well as a record one for quality 
and quantity of exhibits. The report showed a balance of 
nearly £20 on the right side, which was considered highly satis¬ 
factory. It was unanimously agreed to hold the 1904 exhi¬ 
bition in Selkirk, the date to be fixed later. Andrew Thomson, 
Esq., F.E.I.S., Galashiels, was again elected president; Rev. 
W. S. Matheson, St. John’s Manse, Galashiels, John Forbes, 
Esq., Hawick, George Wood, Esq., Hawick, W. P. Scott, Esq., 
Hawick, Alexander F. Roberts, Esq., Selkirk, and William 
Edgar, Esq., Selkirk, vice-presidents; Mr. James Mallen, 
Abbotsford Nursery, Galashiels, secretary ; Mr. John Macauley, 
Selkirk, and Mr. Oliver, Hawick, assistant-secretaries; Mr. 
John Dickson, 60, Stirling Street, Galashiels, treasurer, as 
well as a large and representative committee from the whole 
district. , 
The Hawick committee of the Border District Chrysanthemum 
Society met in the Crown Hotel on Saturday nicdit last week, 
and presented their local secretary, Mr. Oliver, Wellogate Villa, 
with a piece of silver plate and silver-mounted pipe, in recog¬ 
nition of his services in connection with the exhibition held 
last month. Mr. Archd. Forbes, Buccleuch Nurseries, in making 
the presentation, referred in suitable terms to the untiring 
efforts of Mr. Oliver in carrying out the many duties devolving 
on him as managing secretary, all being agreed that the huge 
success of their show was due in a great measure to his tact 
and downright hard work. Mr. Oliver, though taken by sur¬ 
prise, replied in suitable words. A very enjoyable evening 
was siient with song and sentiment, there being no lack of talent 
amongst- these Border 'Mum enthusiasts. 
Society and Association Notes. 
National Dahlia Society.— The annual general meeting of 
the above society was held at the Hotel Windsor, V estminster, 
on Tuesday last, but want of space prevents us from giving a 
report of the same, and we shall have to publish it in our next 
issue. 
a * * 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society. 
The monthly committee meeting of this society was held ati 
the Caledonian Hotel, Adelphi Terrace, Strand, on Monday 
evening last, Mr. Thomas Winter in the chair. Four new 
members were elected. Eight members were reported on the 
sick fund. The attention of members is particularly called 
to Rule 14, a member having just now forfeited his sick pa,y 
through neglecting to pay his subscriptions within the limit 
of seven months. 
* ■* * 
Beckenham Horticultural Society. —On the 4th inst. the 
paper read to the members was “ The Beautifying and Utilising 
of Waste Spaces, Railway Embankments, etc.,” by E. Lovett, 
Esq., F.R.H.S. Waste lands, he pointed out, could be made 
beautiful, and generally profitable. Trees for producing poles 
could be grown on most embankments, the Willow on ground 
of a moist character. Stony places along the embankment) 
could be made beautiful by growing rock plants, which would 
soon make an embankment more pleasing to the eye than they 
generally are. Mr. Lovett endeavoured to show by his paper 
that waste places and embankments could not only be made 
more pleasing to the eye, but a bit profitable. Mr. Woolley 
presided. The way some embankments are utilised abroad 
was explained by Mr. Woolley and Mr. Lovett, both having 
been on the Continent. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. 
Lovett. 
* * * 
Bristol and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Association.— 'This society met at St. John’s Rooms on the 10th 
inst. Mr. E. Poole, F.R.H.S., presided over a good attendance. 
The lecturer for the evening was Mr. Orchard, of Henbury, his 
subject being “ Greenhouse Climbers,” a subject which is in¬ 
teresting to all gardeners, and, as a consequence, Mr. Orchard’s 
remarks were listened to by a very attentive audience. He 
gave a good selection of climbers suitable for the greenhouse, 
detailing the cultural directions for each in a masterly way, 
composts, pruning, thinning, training, and general treatment 
receiving his careful attention. He emphasised the necessity 
of cleanliness, and keeping down insect pests, which, if left, 
would cause a great amount of trouble. He advised all gar 
deners to study their employers’ tastes in the selection of their 
greenhouse and other climbers. A good discussion followed Mr. 
Orchard’s exhaustive lecture, and he was unanimously accorded 
the best thanks of the society for so profitable an evening. The 
prizes for the evening were for two bunches white Grapes, 
and were awarded to Mr. J. B. Brain (gardener, Mr. Atwell) 
and Mr. W. Howel Davis (gardener, Mr. Curtis). Certificates 
of Merit went to Mr. W. E. George (gardener, Mr. Scott) for 
three well-grown plants of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, and to 
Air. F. C. J. Fisher (gardener, Mr. Shelton), also for a large 
plant of the same variety, and one to Lady Cave (gardener, Mr. 
Poole) for a collection of cut foliage of greenhouse climbers. 
The society’s annual dinner took place at St. Stephen’s Restau¬ 
rant on Thursday, the 17th inst., at which there was a large 
gathering of horticulturists. 
NEWS OF THE WEEK. 
Mr. William Beck, for many years head gardener at Crichel 
House, Bournemouth, died at his residence the other week, at 
the age of seventy-eight. He was well known and respected in 
the district. 
* * * 
A National Potato Society. —In view of the enormous 
advance in the price of Potatos this season, the heavy losses from 
disease, and the importance of the crop, a project has been 
mooted for establishing a National Potato Society. A public 
meeting will be held in the North Room, Hotel Windsor, Vic¬ 
toria Street, Westminster, on Wednesday, December 30tli, at 
3 p.m., to fully discuss the matter. 
* * * 
No Creepers for Camberwell Infirmary. —The tender of 
Messrs. Cutbush and Sons, Highgate, for providing trees, 
■shrubs, and creepers in front of the infirmary, Camberwell, 
was agreed to with the alteration, moved by Air. St. Cedd and 
seconded by Mr. Brown, that creepers be not purchased, it being 
held that these were damaging to the walls, drains, and water- 
Polluted Watercress. —Beds for the production of Water¬ 
cress should be fully 10 to 12 miles from any populous place, 
London especially ; and the medical officer of the local authority 
should be 'empowered to take samples of the water in which the 
cress was growing at least once a week for analysis. Some 
years since I was authorised to visit some extensive beds both in 
Surrey and in Middlesex watered by sewage. In one case the 
water utilised was the effluent from a sewage farm. It was clear 
to the eye, but might have been full of dangerous microbes. 
Still, it was probably as good as was the water in other beds 
fed by a slow-running stream, which had passed through a some¬ 
what populous area. Elsewhere other beds were watered by 
sewage of so offensive a kind that a black scum was left on the 
surface. It was. truly awful to contemplate the effects of such 
material on human life when eaten. Watercress beds ought to 
be placed in every case under sanitary control, 'and if it were 
found that the feeding water was offensive the beds should 
be rigidly condemned and closed.—A. D. 
* * * 
Fog on Foliage. —I have little opportunity to observe the 
effects of fog on foliage, although I know very well how destruc¬ 
tive fogs are to the foliage, and flowers of many plants in glass¬ 
houses in and near London. But my present experience is 
confined to such hardy and semi-evergreen shrubs as the broad¬ 
leaved Privet, which grows in my town backyard rather 
luxuriantly. A few days since all the past season’s growths re¬ 
mained almost densely leaved. To-day, but a few hours’ rather 
dense fog having intervened, two-thirds of the leaves, and these 
all the largest, lie on the ground, the younger leaves remaining. 
Now what element in the fog caused this defoliation ? If there 
had been in it some offensive acid or gas, why did not all the 
leaves fall equally ? If the falling was due to the stoppage by 
fog of all natural respiration, and thus causing the leaves to 
fall, because natural action was for a time checked, it is more 
easy to understand why the older and riper leaves succumbed 
first. The fog here was of the ordinary wet order, and not a 
black smoke fog, such as sometimes prevails.—A. D. 
