Mhv  3,:  1900, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
371 
Recent  Weather  In  Tiondon. — The  difference  between  Saturday, 
the  21tt,  and  Saturday,  the  28th  ult.,  was  remarkable ;  on  the  first 
named  it  was  intensely  hot,  and  on  the  latter  it  was  decidedly  cold 
with  some  showers.  These  were  the  conditions  again  on  Sunday 
Monday  was  a  wet,  cold  day,  with  hardly  a  gleam  of  sunshine.  Tuesday 
opened  milder,  and  the  day  continued  fine.  On  Wednesday  it  was 
quite  summerlike. 
Weather  In  the  North.— For  the  week  ending  the  30th  ult.  the 
weather  was  decidedly  colder,  and  dense  hoar  frost  occurred  on  the 
27th  and  the  28th,  6°  and  10°  of  frost  being  reported  from  a  central 
county  on  these  mornings.  The  wind  up  to  Monday  evening  con¬ 
tinued  in  the  N.W.,  and  was  very  cold.  Snow  still  lingers  even  on 
the  southern  slopes  of  the  hills. —  B.  D.,  8.  Perthshive. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. — The  next  fruit  and  flower  show 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  May  8th, 
in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster,  1  to  5  p.m.  A  lecture  on 
“  Is  there  any  Natural  Limit  to  the  Improvement  of  Cultivated  Plants?” 
will  be  given  by  Mr.  W.  Bateson,  M.A.,  P.R.S.,  at  three  o’clock.  A 
schedule  of  the  Temple  Flower  Show  can  now  be  obtained  on 
application  to  the  Sec,  R.H.S.,  117,  Victoria  Street,  S.W.,  enclosing 
a  stamp. 
New  Gardens  for  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.— For 
the  purpose  of  giving  full  effect  to  the  decision  of  the  general  meeting 
of  the  society,  held  on  April  25th,  requesting  the  council  to  examine 
further  sites  for  the  new  gardens  of  the  society,  the  council  request 
any  Fellow  who  knows  of  a  suitable  position  to  be  so  kind  as  to  send 
at  once  to  the  office  of  the  society  detailed  particulars  of  the  acreage, 
distance  from  London,  nearest  railway  station,  aspect,  nature  of  soil, 
name  of  owner  or  agent,  and  price. — W.  Wilks,  Secretary. 
Thompson’s  “  Gardeners’  Assistant.”— This  standard  work  on 
horticulture  has  been  thoroughly  revised  and  enlarged  by  numerous 
specialists  under  the  general  editorship  of  Mr.  W.  Watson,  and  will,  we 
are  informed,  be  ready  for  issue  early  in  May.  The  new  edition  will  be 
in  the  form  of  two  volumes,  each  of  about  600  pages,  and  fully  illustrated 
by  coloured  plates  and  engravings. 
The  Alexandra  Palace.  -We  learn  that  the  Middlesex  County 
Council  at  a  recent  meeting  adopted  a  recommendation  of  the  General 
Purposes  Committee  to  contribute  £49,000  towards  the  purchase  of  the 
Alexandra  Palace  and  park  of  172  acres,  subject  to  the  enfranchise¬ 
ment  of  the  28  acres  of  leasehold.  This  splendid  space  is  thus  likely 
to  become  the  property  of  the  people  of  North  London  at  no  very 
distant  date. 
An  Important  Sale  of  Books. — The  valuable  library  of 
botanical  books  brought  together  by  the  late  J.  T.  Barber,  Esq.,  Aston- 
on-Clun,  was  sold  last  week  by  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  &  Hodge. 
Some  of  the  most  important  included  Mr.  C,  Cooke’s  “  Illustrations 
of  British  Fungi,”  1881-91,  £21  j  Curtis’s  “Botanical  Magazine,”  from 
the  commencement  in  1787  to  1879,  complete  set,  £91;  Edwards’ 
“Botanical  Register,”  1815-47,  complete  set,  £44;  James  Sowerby’s 
“  English  Botany,”  1790-1849,  in  forty  volumes,  £36 ;  H.  Andrews’ 
“  Botanists’  Repository,”  1797-1815,  ten  volumes,  £10  5s. ;  C.  Loddiges’ 
“  Botanical  Cabinet,”  1817-33,  twenty  volumes,  £38 ;  De  Martins’ 
“Nova  Genera  et  Species  Plantarum  Brasiliensiutn,”  1824-32,  £15  10s.; 
Reichenbach’s  “  Icouographia  Botanica  seu  Plant ee  Criticoe,”  1823,  &c., 
£18  10s. ;  Reichenbach’s  “  leones  Florae  Germanicae  et  Helveticae, 
1834-62,  twenty  volumes,  £40 ;  J.  Bateman’s  “  Orchidaceao  of  Mexico 
and  Guatemala,  1843,  £11  ;  H.  J.  Elwes’  “  Monograph  of  the  Genus 
Lilium,”  1877-80,  £10;  R.  J.  Jacquin’s  “  Hortus  Botanicus  Vindo- 
bonensis,”  1770-76,  £22  10s.;  “  Plantorum  Rariorum  Horti  Caesarei 
Schoenbrunneesis,”  1797-1804,  £31;  “  Stapeliarum  in  Hortis  Vindo- 
bonensibus,  1806,  £14  5s.;  “  Fragmenta  Botanica,”  1809,  £10;  John 
Parkinson’s  “  PHradiai  in  Sole,”  1629,  perfect  copy,  £22  10s. ;  Giovanni 
B.  Pirane’s  works,  in  twenty-one  volumes,  £54 ;  P.  J.  Redoute’s  “  Les 
Liliacees,”  1807,  on  large  paper,  rare,  £50;  Ruiz  et  Pavon’s  “Flora 
Peruviana  et  Chilensis,”  1794-1802,  £25  10s. ;  and  F.  Sander’s 
“  Reichenbachia,”  1888-98,  £29. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  —  The 
sixty-first  anniversary  festival  of  this  institution  will  take  place  on 
Friday,  May  18th,  at  the  HAtel  Metropole,  when  the  Duke  of 
Portland  will  preside.  His  Grace  will  be  supported  by  the  Dean  of 
Rochester,  Viscount  Powersoourt,  the  Right  Hon.  A.  H.  Smith  Barry, 
M.P.,  and  other  influential  gentlemen. 
Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  C.  B.  Elliott,  for  the  past  seven 
years  head  gardener  to  the  late  Mrs.  Wilsons,  Luneville,  Torquay,  has 
been  appointed  head  gardener  to  Major  Willie,  Blythe  Hall,  Blythe 
Notts.  The  place  became  vacant  through  the  sad  death  of  Mr.  Walter 
Elliott,  who  passed  away  on  the  5th  of  April,  after  a  very  short  illness, 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty.  There  were  over  100  applications  for  the 
post. 
The  Tames  IMCartln  IMCemorlal  Fund. — We  are  informed  that 
the  committee  of  the  Martin  Memorial  Fund  has  decided  that  the 
fund  shall  be  closed  on  Saturday,  May  12th.  The  amount  already 
raised  is  £133  7s.,  which  includes  the  £50  with  which  Messrs.  Sutton 
and  Sons  headed  the  subscription  list.  Those  who  are  desirous  of 
contributing  to  the  memorial  to  the  late  expert  hybridist  should 
forward  the  amount  forthwith  to  the  honorary  secretary,  Mr.  H.  G- 
Cox,  Fernlea,  Junction  Road,  Reading. 
Vandalism  at  Richmond  — The  beautifully  wooded  cottage  ground 
in  the  Old  Deer  Park,  Richmond,  presented  b  the  Queen  to  the  nation, 
is  to  shortly  have  a  large  physical  laboratory  at  its  side,  in  spite  of  the 
announcement  previously  made  by  Mr.  Akers-Douglas  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  that  this  most  beautiful  bit  of  wild  country  in  the  proximity 
of  London  should  not  be  cut  up  unnecessarily.  The  proposed  desecra¬ 
tion,  moreover,  would  be  against  the  wishes  of  her  Majesty,  the  donor, 
who  expressed  herself  as  follows  : — “  The  Queen  most  earnestly  trusts 
that  this  unique  spot  may  be  preserved  in  its  present  beautiful  and 
natural  condition.”  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  destruction  of  this 
beautiful  woodland  sanctuary  will  be  averted. 
The  Gladstone  Conservatory,  Liverpool. — The  name  of 
Henry  Yates  Thompson,  Esq.,  will  ever  live  in  the  hearts  of  Liver¬ 
pool  citizens  on  account  of  his  magnificent  gifts  to  the  city,  and  more 
especially  of  the  grand  Palm  house  in  Sefton  Park,  and  lastly,  the 
splendid  Palm  house  which  was  opened  in  Stanley  Park,  a  densely 
populated  part  of  the  city,  on  St.  George’s  Day.  Alderman  Joseph 
Ball,  the  chairman  of  the  Parks  and  Gardens  Committee,  was  deputed 
to  open  the  building,  which  is  a  model  of  the  temperate  house  at 
Kew,  and  is  surrounded  by  lawns  in  capital  condition,  the  necessary 
band  stand  being  near  to  the  main  entrance.  The  conservatory  is 
120  feet  long,  50  feet  wide,  10  feet  high  at  the  eaves,  and  30  feet 
to  the  ridge,  and  with  exception  of  teak  ventilators,  is  composed  of 
iron.  A  verandah  8  feet  wide  and  15  feet  high,  with  suitable  seats, 
will  be  found  of  great  advantage  when  the  bands  are  engaged. 
Standing  near  to  the  doorway  is  a  capital  bust  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  and 
underneath  is  a  passage  from  a  speech  in  which  he  stated,  “I  myself 
have  seen  the  wild  Roses  blowing  on  the  very  ground  which  is  now 
the  centre  of  the  borough  of  Liverpool.”  It  must  be  admitted  by 
all  that  the  conservatory  is  one  more  instance  of  the  excellence  of  the 
work  of  Messrs.  Mackenzie  &  Moncur.  The  value  of  the  excellent 
gift  is  upwards  of  £8000. 
Isle  of  Wight.  —  On  April  4th  Mr.  F.  D.  Hills  gave  an 
interesting  lecture  before  the  members  of  the  Cowes  Horticultural 
Improvement  Society  on  “  Bees  and  their  Value  to  Gardeners.”  On 
April  7th  Mr.  T.  S.  Rooper  gave  an  instructive  lecture  under  the 
auspices  of  the  I.W.  Horticultural  Improvement  Association  at 
the  Guildhall,  Newport,  on  “  The  Value  of  Gardening  as  a 
Means  of  Education.”  Dr.  J.  Groves,  B.A.,  J.P.,  presided.  On 
the  18th  and  19th  the  Ryde  Horticultural  Society  held  a  two  days 
show  of  Daffodils  and  spring  flowers  in  'the  Town  Hall.  The 
local  exhibits  were  not  all  that  could  be  desired,  but  the  exhibit  of 
Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons  gave  every  satisfaction  and  received  much  praise. 
Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons  have  done  a  great  deal  to  develop  the  cultiva¬ 
tion  of  spring  flowers  in  the  Garden  Isle  by  their  annual  visits  to  the 
spring  shows.  On  the  18th  the  Shanklin  Horticultural  Society  held  its 
first  exhibition  of  Daffodils  and  spring  flowers  in  the  Institute  ;  it  was 
an  innovation  which  caught  on,  and  is  calculated  to  do  much  good  in 
this  popular  island  resort.  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons  had  an  excel'en 
exhibit.  On  the  21st  Mr.  J.  S.  Walker  read  a  paper  on  the  “  Vin 
under  the  auspices  of  the  I.W.  Horticultural  Improvement  Associatio  i, 
which  was  thoroughly  practical  and  was  much  appreciated. — S.  H. 
