128 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 11, 1905 . 
clerland ; S. Heaton, 30, Hill View Road, Oxford ; J. D. Jonas, 
8, Acacia Road, Bournville, Birmingham; A. Kime, Westliill 
Gardens, Yarmouth, I.W. ; J. W. Mallinson, Langwa-thby, 
R.S.O., Cumberland ; J. Milburn, Victoria Park, Bath ; H. A. 
Pettigrew, St. Fagans, Cardiff; C. S. Ritchie, Benellen Towers 
Gardens, Bournemouth ; W. Seaman, Margery Hall Gardens, 
Reigate ; J. Udale, 2, Ombersley Road, Droit-wich. 
Her Majesty the Queen, we are pleased to learn, has be¬ 
come a patron of the Linnaean Society of London. 
* * * 
Her Majesty the Queen is very fond of the sweet-scented 
Russian Violets, and during the period they are in bloom she 
has a- supply sent her daily from the cultures at Sandringham. 
* * * 
Crystal Palace Rose Show. The Crystal Palace Rose Show 
has been definitely fixed for Saturday. July 8th next. Schedules 
can be obtained from Mr. G. Castleton, superintendent of the 
gardens, Crystal Palace, London, S.E. 
0 * * * 
New Park for London. —Quite recently it was announced that 
a new home for the Ring’s College Hospital had been secured 
at Denmark Hill. Now it is proposed to purchase the adjoin¬ 
ing 24 acres of land on the top of the hill, which the late John 
Ruskin had described as the “ last spur of the Surrey Downs'. ’ 
and spoke in warm terms with relation to its fruit trees, Almond 
blossom, and other charms of this elevated site. On the 4th 
inst. the representatives of Lambeth, Camberwell, Walworth, 
and Southwark Borough Councils assembled, on the invitation 
of Mr. Frank Trier, to inspect the place. About £48,000. that 
is, at the rate of £2.000 per acre, is necessary to purchase it. 
The hospital site cost more than double to keep the area in 
question out of the hands of the builder. Ruskin had two 
houses in close proximity to this outlying spur of the Surrey 
Downs, and spent the greater part of his life there. The pro¬ 
posed park will be named Ruskin Park, and no better or more 
suitable name could have been suggested. Other notable men 
lived in the neighbourhood, but they had less claim upon the 
public sentiment and sympathy. To entomologists the situa¬ 
tion will be remembered as the haunts of the rare Camberwell 
Beauty Butterfly. Most London people would hope that all 
such elevated situations might be secured as open spaces for 
the people for ever. 
* * * 
Mansion Destroyed by Fire at the Glen. —Gardeners every¬ 
where, but particularly those north of the Tweed, will be sorry 
to learn of the destructive lire which has gutted the main por¬ 
tion of the building of the splendid mansion belonging to Sir 
Charles Tennant, Bart., The Glen, Innerleithen, N.B. The lire 
was discovered about six p.m., and by midnight the central 
portion of the mansion was totally destroyed. There is a small 
fire brigade at The Glen, but the fire was beyond their power 
when discovered. Assistance was procured from the fire brigades 
at Innerleithen, Peebles, and Galashiels, but all of these towns 
were so distant that the fire was beyond control long before 
they could reach the place. The weather was windy at the 
time, thus helping to fan the flames. Sir Charles and Lady 
Tennant are at present at Biarritz, but Mr. Edward Tennant, 
their son, was in residence at The Glen, along with some others, 
as a dinner party was to be held the same evening. We regret 
to learn that during the progress of the fire a serious accident 
happened to Mr. Thomas Brunton, one of the under-gardeners, 
who was standing on a ladder trying to get a hose in one ,of 
the windows when he fell a distance of 25 ft. and was seriously 
injured. The Glen was purchased by Sir Charles Tennant in- 
1852 for £33,140. The previous proprietor had spent £30.000 
in improving the place,, Soon after purchasing it, Sir Charles 
entirely rebuilt the house, and added to it in 1873. Altogether 
he spent about £50,000 on the place. While the fire was pro¬ 
gressing people assembled from all quarters, and the valuable 
collection of pictures at The Glen and the library were carried 
to a place of safety. It is feared, however, that some of the 
family poitraits have been destroyed. The fire is believed to 
have been caused by the fusing of some electric wires. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column, Th°s°. 
enquiries may cover any branch, of gardening. Questions should be pu] 
as briefly as possible, and written on one side of the paper only; a 
separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
of their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressei 
enve ope is enclosed, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial, manner 
Address letters: The Editor, "The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Hollyhocks Diseased. 
I have some seedling Hollyhocks, the seed of which I sowed 
last September, and naturally they are nice plants by now. I 
have kept them in a cold frame, but have not potted them 
off, and now I find they have the rust on them. What would be 
advisable to use without injuring the plants, and would it be any 
benefit to pot them off? I had a good strain of seed, which I 
obtained from a reliable source. (E. Goddard.) 
It would probably assist the plants to give them more room 
now by potting them on, which would encourage growth and 
enable the plants to overcome the rust to some extent. While 
this is going on you should take off and burn the worst of the 
leaves, so as to prevent the spores from infecting the healthy 
leaves. It will be difficult to completely get rid of it on this 
occasion, but you should endeavour to encourage the plants tc 
grow, at the same time keeping the frame well ventilated, so as tc 
carry off the moisture and keep the plants sturdy. If you have 
any other members of the Mallow family in the neighbourhood 
you should see that the affected leaves, if any, are pulled off anc 
burned, or if the plants are very badly attacked they should 
even be destroyed, as they keep a supply of spores in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of your Hollyhocks, and thus continue the infection. 
It would be worth your while to try sulphide of potassium—that 
is; liver of sulphur—at the rate of ^ oz. to the gallon of water. 
The plants might be syringed with this occasionally by way of a 
preventive. By this means you will prevent the fungus from 
making much headway until the plants are placed in the open, 
when they will grow more strongly, and perhaps escape the 
fungus more or less, provided they are planted in a rich, fairly 
moist soil. We fancy that the spores must have been about the 
frame before the seedlings germinated. 
Standard Height of Thermometer. 
What is the standard height above ground for a Fahrenheit 
maximum and minimum registering thermometer to be fixed 
I have been told that- 4 ft. is the recognised height. If so, 1 
wonder how many private gardeners, who from time to time 
record these readings in horticultural papers, have 
these thermometers fixed 4 ft. above ground. In all my rxpe 
rience of twenty-three years in private places I cannot say t-hai 
I have seen one fixed at this height. Now, this strikes me as 
being a very unsatisfactory condition of things, as it cannot! 
give an accurate reading between districts, for if mine is at 
4 ft., as I have been told to fix it, and my neighbours have 
theirs at 2 ft., our readings are bound to be very much at 
variance. If 4 ft. is the standard height, would it not be bettei 
to have it universally so. to give a truer comparison betweer 
districts? I should be glad of your opinion, or of any of yom 
readers’, on the subject. (W. R. J.) ; 
We believe 4 ft. is the- standard height at which the Roya 
Meteorological Society would have their thermometers fixed 
and we believe that all those who are making observations or 
their account have their thermometers fixed at this height. 
In any case, it should always be stated what height a thermo 
meter was above the grass or ground. We know that this k 
certainly the case in gardens which are up-to-date meteoro¬ 
logically. We quite agree with you. however, that in a very 
large proportion of private establishments little science is exer¬ 
cised in the placing of their thermometers. According to oui 
experience, the principal thing seems- to be to have it so fixer 
that it can be easily read by means of a lantern when the stokei 
goes round the fires at night. A difference of 2 ft. between twe 
thermometers would not be great as reckoned m degrees 
although scientifically it would not be exact. No doubt you 
know as well as we do that readings of the thermometer vary 
greatly between one place and another, although they- may b; 
neighbours, owing to a difference of elevation above sea-level 
Correct readings of the thermometer should always he accom 
panied by the elevation above sea-level at which the records 
are made. It will also occur to you that readings taken in ; 
