January 2, 1904. 
The Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“Man, like the gen’rous Vine, supported lives; the strength he gains is from th’ embrace he gives.”— Pope■ 
Weekly Prize 
FOR 
Short Articles. 
The Proprietors of The Gardening World 
will give a cash prize of Ten Shillings eor 
the best paragraph, or short article, sent 
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sent in. The paragraph, or article, must not 
exceed one column in length, but the value, 
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considered in making the award. Competitors 
may send in items of news or comments on 
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successful methods of propagating plants 
usually considered difficult; or contributions 
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Views and Reviews- 
The following Coloured 
Plates have appeared in 
recent numbers:— 
May 23.— SAXIFRAGA GRISEBACHII, 
May 30. — DENDROBIUM NOBILE 
ROTUNDIFLORUM and D.n. NOBILIUS. 
July 4.— APHELANDRA AURANTIACA 
ROEZLII. 
August 1.— BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12.— SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
October 3— LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
TYPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
Novembe. 11.— ROSE MME. 
VASSEUR. 
N. LEVA 
Back numbers may be obtained from the 
publishers, price 2£d. post free. 
) This week we present a Coloured Plate 
\ of 
HYBRID TEA-SCENTED ROSE 
IRENE 
^ Next week we shall give a Half-tone 
Plate of the 
NEW CONSERVATORY AT 
NUNAPPLETON, YORKS. 
Journal of the Kew Guild. 
The above journal now makes its appear¬ 
ance during the last few days of the year, 
instead of in spring, as formerly. The 
frontispiece is a portrait of Mr. W. B. 
Latham, who recently retired from the cura- 
torship of the Birmingham Botanic Gardens. 
A portrait- of this veteran, horticulturist was 
given in The Gardening World, VqI. II., 
page 569, as well as an account of his career. 
His chief specialities' in: gardening were 
Orchids and Ferns, several of which havei 
been named after him, including Cypripe- 
dium lathamianum, Dicksonia, lathamiana, 
Adiantum Lathami, and Gymnogramme 
Lathamiae (Mrs. Latham’s), and possibly 
others. 
The annual dinner of the members of the 
guild, past and present Kewites! is now an 
established institution. Last May it was 
attended by 139 members, a very fair 
number when one remembers that the 
members are now scattered in all quarters' of 
the globe. Akin, to the annual dinner is the 
social gathering, consisting chiefly of 
members still in the gardens, and which 
takes place in the village. The entertain¬ 
ment consists of music and dancing, the 
singers being members of the guild. A little 
diversion, on the last occasion was the 
“sword dance” given by Messrs. Blythman, 
Maclean and Courts, who showed the Sassenr 
achs how this should be done' in real northern 
style. 
Speaking of things local, it may be worth 
ivliile to 1 mention that the churchyard at 
Kew Green, has been put in order by the 
garden staff. The parishioners do not seem 
to be aware of, nor to appreciate the fact 
that several very eminent men lie in that old 
churchyard on the green. Some of these 
famous men, from a. horticultural point of 
view, were Haven-field, who superintended 
the Royal Gardens, Kichmond, that is, the 
portion in that parish now forming the 
pleasure grounds, Kew ;Wm. Alton, and Wm. 
T. Aiton, his son, who were responsible for 
the now classic work, the “ Hortus Kewen- 
sis”; Sir Wm. Jackson Hooker, who first, 
brought the' gardens into repute as a botani¬ 
cal establishment, and public garden ; also 
his father, Joseph Hooker, M.D.; John 
Smith, the first curator who wrote a, number 
of books on Ferns and economic botany ; 
and Mr. John Smith, who succeeded him as 
curator. Outside of horticulture there are 
other notable men.. 
The journal contains an illustration repro¬ 
duced from a, photograph, of the new bridge 
at Kew, a, commodious and substantial 
granite structure, less picturesque, perhaps, 
than the old one, with its narrow roadway 
and steep arches, but much more calculated 
to meet, the requirements of the traffic on 
Sundays and holidays, when it was positively 
dangerous to cross the old bridge, owing to 
the lack of space. A temporary bridge was 
put up in 1898, and the new bridge com¬ 
menced when the old one was taken down in 
the following year. The new structure was 
completed on May 20th last and opened by 
the King. The approaches are much longer 
than those of the old bridge, and the elevated 
roadway considerably encroaches upon Kew 
Green. The unsightliness' of the embank¬ 
ments' will be hidden in the course of a few 
years by trees and shrubs, but all the same 
the old-fashioned aspect of the village has 
been considerably destroyed, as every old 
Kewite will admit. Everybody still speaks 
of it under the name of Kew Bridge, 
although it was named Edward VII. Bridge 
by the- King. We fancy old Kewites will 
say that is another synonym from Kew. 
During 1903, the number of visitors toi 
the gardens was again very great, numbering 
1,323,376 for the year. This was a slight 
falling away if compared with the previous 
year, for wliich the sunless, summer may he 
held accountable. When the record comes 
to be made for last year, the falling off will 
probably be greater, as we have been in, the 
gardens when scarcely anyone was to be 
seen, owing to the downpour of rain. 
Mr. G. Lee, of Clevedon, must be one of 
the oldest Kewites alive, as he worked at 
Kew in. 1838, the year the late Queen Vic¬ 
toria was crowned ; that is., sixty-five years 
ago. In those days, the watering of the 
Rhododendrons had to be done by watering- 
pots from a cask filled at the back of the 
office and wheeled about on a barrow. As 
Mr. Lee was a total abstainer he could not 
have benefited much from the ale which was 
allowed to the workmen twice a day in those 
days. Workmen only received 13s. a week 
in those early times. 
The new station at Khartoum has already 
been filled by a Kew man, who gives some 
account of his experiences from the Palace 
Gardens there. His experience in passing 
southward through the Soudan may be in¬ 
teresting' to lead about but not. possess. He 
was supposed to be in a dust-proof carriage, 
