April  26,  1900. 
JOUENAL  OF  HORTTGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Manchester  Show — Messrs.  H.  Low  &  Co.  write  ;  “  We  notice 
in  your  report  of  the  above  show  that  our  firm  has  not  been  mentioned 
as  exhibiting.  We  had  a  small  but  choice  collection  of  Orchids,  which 
gained  a  silver  medal,  and  the  plants  as  under  received  awards  as 
stated  :  Cattleya  Trianse  Empress  of  India  and  speciosissima  Lowise, 
first  class  certificates  ;  Cattleya  Trianae  coerulescens,  award  of  merit.” 
Primrose  Day. — On  Thursday  last  London  was  a  city  of  Primroses, 
and  rarely  indeed  have  such  immense  numbers  been  seen  on  the  streets. 
In  every  direction  the  modest  flower  was  in  evidence.  London  sales¬ 
men  speak  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  bunches  coming  in,  and  yet 
there  were  not  too  many.  Let  us  hope  that  the  gathering  of  the 
flowers  was  not  accompanied  by  mutilation  or  the  destruction  of  the 
plants,  which  have  been  practically  exterminated  in  one  or  two  districts 
by  set  seless  hawkers  dragging  plants  as  well  as  flowers  from  the 
soil. — J.  J. 
Guernsey  Growers’  Vear  Book. — A  copy  of  this  publication, 
which,  as  well  as  being  a  concise  directory  of  the  Channel  Islands,  is  the 
official  organ  of  the  Guernsey  Gardeners’  Association,  has  just  reached 
us.  As  has  been  the  case  in  the  previous  issues,  the  book  embodies 
much  practical  matter,  which  cannot  be  other  than  of  the  greatest  value 
to  all  growers  for  market  in  the  Islands.  To  a  lesser  degree  they  will 
also  be  useful  to  home  growers,  but  for  these  the  chief  value  of  the 
book  will  lie  in  the  fact  that  it  contains  such  an  extensive  list  of  names 
and  addresses.  The  price  of  the  book  is  Is.  2d.,  post  free,  and  it  may 
be  obtained  from  the  secretary,  Mr.  R.  Marshall,  St.  Julian’s  Pier, 
Guernsey. 
ICew  Guild  Dinner. — The  members  of  the  Kew  Guild  will  dine 
together  at  7.30  on  Tuesday,  May  22ad,  in  the  Holborn  Restaurant, 
tinder  the  presidency  of  Sir  William  Thiselton  Dyer,  K.C.M.G., 
C.I.E.,  F.R.S.  The  president  of  the  Guild,  Mr.  G.  Nicholson,  A.L.S. ; 
the  vice-president,  Mr.  W.  Rotting  Hemsley,  P.R.S. ;  and  other  officers 
have  promised  to  be  present.  A  very  large  gathering  is  anticipated. 
Old  Kewites  who  have  not  already  procured  tickets,  which  are  Ss.  each, 
are  requested  to  make  early  application  to  the  honorary  secretary  of 
the  dinner  committee,  Mr.  C.  H.  Curtis,  68,  Whitestile  Road,  Brentford. 
Baster  Floral  Fete  at  Wolverhampton.  —  By  a  happy 
inspiration  the  committee  of  the  Wolverhampton  and  Staffordshire 
Auxiliary  of  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution  conceived  the 
dea  of  holding  a  flower  show  and  mnsioal  entertainment  at  the  Drill 
Hall  in  aid  of  the  institution.  The  fact  that  it  was  an  impromptu 
affair  partly  explains  why  the  local  gardening  fraternity  was  so  sparsely 
represented,  and  Mr.  J.  F.  Simpson,  gardener  to  Alderman  C.  T- 
Mander,  the  Mount,  Tettenhall  Wood,  was  the  only  exhibitor.  Of  the 
local  trade  also,  remarkable  to  relate,  Mr.  Richard  Lowe  alone  contri¬ 
buted,  his  examples  being  three  groups  of  plants,  in  one  of  which 
were  included  numerous  cut-  specimens  of  Orchids.  The  show  was 
further  augmented  by  groups  of  miscellaneous  flowering  and  foliage 
plants,  generously  contributed  by  Messrs.  James  Veitch  &  Sons,  Chelsea. 
Messrs.  Dickson,  Ltd.,  Chester,  and  Messrs.  Webb  &  Sons,  Wordsley. 
In  the  latter  firm’s  exhibit  a  very  fine  strain  of  Cinerarias  in  pots 
was  noted. —  W.  G. 
Cleantlng'  Nursery  Stock.— -We  learn  from  an  American 
contemporary  that  a  bill  is  being  prepared  by  the  Western  New  York 
Horticultural  Society,  and  will  soon  be  introduced  in  the  legislature) 
for  the  protection  of  the  great  fruit  growing  interests  of  New  York 
and  the  eastern  S'^ates  from  the  spread  of  the  San  Jose  scale.  It  is  an 
amendment  to  the  present  law  for  the  inspection  of  nurseries  and 
orchards,  and  will  require  the  fumigation  of  all  nursery  stock  with 
hydrocyanic  acid  gas  before  it  is  sold.  This  gas  when  properly  applied 
is  fatal  to  the  scale,  as  well  as  to  all  other  insects,  such  as  the  woolly 
aphis.  Peach  and  Apple  borer  and  bud  moth,  but  is  not  injurious  in  any 
way  to  the  trees  or  plants  which  are  subjected  to  it.  As  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  infected  nursery  stock  into  neighbourhoods  where  the  scale 
does  not  exist  is  the  great  source  of  infection,  and  the  only  dangerous 
source,  except  from  natural  means  of  dissemination,  it  behoves  fruit 
growers  to  take  active  measures  for  the  prevention  of  the  spread  of 
this  dangerous  ir  sect  and  for  the  eradication  of  it  where  it  does  exist. 
Fumigation  is  a  simple  operation,  and  the  cost  is  nominal.  Under  the 
proposed  law  nurserymen  and  dealers  can  give  a  clean  bill  of  health 
to  their  stock,  and  the  result  will  be  a  greatly  increased  demand  for 
New  York  grown  stock.  Some  nurserymen  oppose  in  this  form  the 
bil',  but  its  object  should  be  favoured  by  all,  while  the  details  of  the 
bill  should  be  such  as  to  accomplish  the  desired  effect  with  the  least 
expense  or  bother  to  either  producers  or  consumers  of  nursery  stock. 
Ttae  Agricultural  Board. — The  manning  of  the  new  Board  of 
Agriculture  for  Ireland  is  not  yet  complete.  The  trouble  lies  in  the 
selection  of  inspectors.  As  yet,  Mr.  J.  S.  Gordon,  B.Sc.,  late  principal 
of  the  Agricultural  College  at  Holmes  Chapel,  Cheshire,  has  been  the 
only  one  elected. 
A  Remarkable  April  Day.— In  London,  on  Saturday  last,  the 
thermometer  in  the  shade  rose  to  a  maximum  of  78°,  the  reading  being 
21°  above  the  average  for  April,  and  6°  above  the  average  for  the  two 
warmest  months  in  the  year,  July  and  August.  The  occurrence  of  such 
heat  in  April  is  very  unusual,  though  not  quite  unprecedented.  During 
the  past  thirty  years  there  have  been  four  warmer  April  days  ;  one  of 
these  occurred  on  the  20th  of  the  month,  in  1893,  when  the  thermometer 
rose  to  82°,  the  other  three  in  1874-,  when  a  reading  of  80°  was  recorded 
on  the  21st,  and  a  reading  of  79°  both  on  the  23rd  and  the  27th.  In 
twenty  out  of  the  past  thirty  Aprils  the  thermometer  never  rose  as 
high  as  70°. 
Mr.  S.  Arnott. — From  the  following  announcement  it  will  be 
gathered  that  our  talented  contributor,  Mr.  S.  Arnott,  is  appreciated  in 
other  walks  of  life  as  well  as  in  horticulture.  A  meeting  of  Parish  Council 
was  held  in  Kirkbean  on  Tuesday,  April  17th.  There  were  present : 
Mr.  A.  Lewis  Ligertwood  (Chairman);  Mr.  S.  Arnott,  Carsethorn  ;  Mr. 
T.  Campbell,  Southerness;  and  Mr.  J.  G.  M'Myn,  Kirkhouse;  with  Mr» 
H.  Fulton,  clerk  and  inspector.  Mr.  Ligertwood  tendered  bis  resig¬ 
nation  as  Chairman  on  account  of  his  leaving  the  parish,  and  also 
resigned  his  membership.  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  T.  Campbell j 
seconded  by  Mr.  J.  G.  M'Myn,  Mr.  S.  Arnott  was  unanimously  app  unted 
Chairman  of  the  Council.  He  thanked  the  members  for  the  honour 
they  had  conferred  upon  him,  and  proposed  that  the  Council  express 
their  regret  at  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Ligertwood  and  their  sense  of  his 
past  services.  The  motion  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 
Klngrly  Gifts. — We  learn  from  a  contemporary  that  H  M.  the  King 
of  the  Belgians  has,  by  deed  of  gift,  on  his  sixty-fifth  birthday,  made 
over  to  the  Belgian  State  those  of  his  properties  which  contribute  to 
the  charm  and  beauty  of  the  localities  in  which  they  are  situated. 
“Anxious  to  preserve  for  these  properties  their  purpose  of  adornment, 
I  have  made  it  my  constant  care  that  they  should  not  be  spoiled  by  any 
building  which  might  change  their  character.  It  would  be  regrettable 
if  their  purpose  should  be  destroyed,  after  my  time,  to  the  detriment 
of  the  beauty  and  salubrity  of  various  populous  localities.  Being 
persuaded  that  it  is  fitting  these  properties  should  belong  to  the  nation^ 
I  have  resolved  to  offer  them  to  Belgium,  and  I  beg  you  to  submit  the 
deed  of  gift  which  I  attach  to  this  letter.  Close  to  large  towns,  above 
all,  it  is  highly  expedient  to  preserve  open  spaces  with  their  natural 
beauties  in  the  interest  of  the  picturesque  and  of  hygiene,  and  it  is 
particularly  so  when  these  spaces  are  adorned  with  plantations  already 
large,  and  laid  out  in  lawns  and  gardens  bordering  on  the  boulevards. 
It  is  the  continuance  of  this  arrangement  of  these  open  spaces,  which 
have  cost  the  public  treasury  nothing,  that  I  desire  to  safeguard  in  the 
future.  However  modest  may  be  the  works  of  embellishment  which  I 
have  carried  out,  it  is  of  moment  that  they  should  not  be  lost  to  future 
generations.”  The  properties  comprise  the  noble  domain  of  Laeken, 
close  to  Brussels ;  the  marine  residence  at  Ostend,  and  the  chateau  in 
the  Ardennes. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet 
Date. 
O 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
V 
u 
ifion 
* 
O  ^ 
•■S.2 
D  > 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
*ce 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
||5 
1-3  a 
April. 
3 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
-O 
09 
-a 
5 
& 
o 
0^  o 
H 
Sunday. .  15 
w.s.w. 
deg. 
53-0 
deg. 
48-1 
deg. 
57  3 
deg. 
49  1 
ins. 
deg. 
48-9 
deg. 
46-5 
deg. 
45-1 
deg. 
45-4 
.Monday . .  16 
\V  ,  s,  >V  . 
48  -6 
43-8 
55-8 
40-9 
o-ot 
47-4 
46-8 
45-2 
33-6 
Tuesday  17 
w.s.w. 
46-8 
437 
52-3 
38-3 
0-02 
46-8 
46  6 
45-6 
27-6 
Wed’sday  18 
N.X.W. 
62  -2 
46-8 
62-6 
36-2 
46‘6 
46-6 
457 
27-9 
Thursday  IS) 
N.X.  E. 
5ti'2 
48-6 
65-2 
43-6 
_ 
46-2 
46-9 
45-9 
34'9 
Friday  ..  20 
E.S.E. 
60-0 
51-9 
69-2 
39-8 
49-9 
47-9 
46-1 
31-6 
Saturday  21 
E.S.E. 
57-4 
52'6 
76^5 
38  9 
— 
50-4 
48-4 
46-3 
30-5 
Means  .. 
53-5 
47  9 
627 
41-0 
Total 
0-06 
48  0 
47-1 
457 
33  0 
The  weather  during  the  first  part  of  the  week  was  dull  and  cold, 
with  strong  winds  and  frequent  showers  ;  the  latter  part  was  bright 
and  very  warm. 
