JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENED. 
January  14, 
32 
Weatheb  in  London. — Rain  has  fallen  every  day  for  the  past 
week,  though  not  always  heavily.  From  Thursday  to  Sunday  there 
was  an  almost  incessant  downpour,  which  led  to  the  flooding  of  several 
houses  in  the  low-lying  suburbs  of  South-west  London.  Neither  on 
Monday,  Tuesday,  nor  Wednesday  of  this  week  was  the  rain  so  heavy, 
but  it  fell  at  frequently  recurring  intervals. 
-  The  Late  Me.  A.  Wateeer, — The  personal  estate  has  been 
valued  at  £128,736  6s.  lid.  of  Mr.  Anthony  Waterer  of  Knaphill 
Nursery,  Horsell,  Surrey,  nurseryman,  who  died  on  November  16th  last, 
aged  seventy-four  years.  Probate  of  the  late  Mr.  Waterer’s  will,  which 
bears  date  February  5th,  1895,  ha?  been  granted  to  his  sod,  Mr. 
Anthony  Waterer,  to  whom  the  testator  left  all  his  real  and  personal 
estate  absolutely. 
-  Buttonholes  and  ’Bacca.— A  provincial  florist,  seedsman, 
and  nurseryman  describes  as  follows  his  method  of  trade  association 
and  expansion  : — “  I  am  making  my  business  more  profitable  than  ever. 
I  bought  a  tobacco  business,  and  the  two  work  well — buttonholes  and 
cigars.  I  think  the  seedsmen  and  florists  will  have  to  mix  a  little,  for 
with  fishmongers  and  ironmongers  selling  flowers,  chemists  selling  seeds, 
and  wholesale  houses  Belling  retail,  it  requires  seedsmen  and  florists 
to  do  a  little  thinking  and  return  the  compliment,  which  in  my 
case  pays.” 
-  A  Fine  Holly.  —  While  passing  on  the  high  road  from 
Sandwich  to  Canterbury  the  other  day  my  attention  was  directed  to 
the  finest  specimen  of  berried  Holly  I  have  ever  seen.  The  tree,  which 
was  growing  in  the  little  front  garden  of  an  old-fashioned  cottage  by 
the  wayside,  was  conical  in  shape,  with  a  bare  stem  of  about  5  feet 
from  the  ground.  The  tree  has  evidently  been  kept  carefully  trimmed, 
as  it  was  of  perfect  shape,  tapering  away  to  a  point  at  the  top. 
Without  the  berries  there  would  have  been  nothing  particularly 
noticeable  about  it,  but  so  thickly  were  these  clustered  all  round  the 
tree,  and  so  brilliantly  scarlet  were  they  in  colour,  that  one  could  not 
help  stopping  to  admire  the  specimen.  In  the  sunlight  the  berries, 
which  were  of  extraordinary  size,  seemed  to  flash  with  an  exceptional 
brightness,  and  never  before  have  I  seen  anything  so  beautiful  in  the 
shape  of  a  common  Holly. — H. 
-  Luculia  gratissima, — While  passing  through  the  flowering 
house  at  Kew  a  few  weeks  ago  I  was  struck  with  the  beauty  of  a  large 
specimen  of  this  old-fashioned  flowering  shrub.  One  rarely  meets  with 
it  nowadays,  yet  what  could  be  more  charming  in  the  dead  of  winter 
than  a  plant  covered  with  its  delicately  tinted  trusses  1  Here  we  have 
its  chief  qualification.  Summer-blooming  shrubs  are  plentiful  enough, 
but  in  the  Luculia  we  have  one  that  comes  in  at  a  time  when  flowers 
are  scarce.  For  conservatories  and  other  houses  where  it  may  be 
permanently  planted  it  is  well  suited,  and  it  seems  a  pity  that  such  a 
well-tried  shrub  is  not  more  largely  grown.  Flowers  for  winter  is 
the  never  ceasing  cry,  and  yet  this  is  only  one  of  the  many  that  could 
be  mentioned,  which  if  grown  would  fill  a  void  too  often  notice¬ 
able.— G. 
-  Rating  of  Glass  Houses. — An  important  appeal  affecting 
the  position  of  market  gardeners  under  the  Agricultural  Rates  Bill  of 
last  session  has  been  heard  at  West  Sussex  Sessions.  At  Worthing 
there  are  about  sixty  market  gardeners  who  grow  Tomatoes,  Grapes, 
and  other  produce  for  market  under  glass.  The  overseers  had  returned 
these  holdings  as  market  gardens,  and  therefore  subject  under  the 
Act  to  a  deduction  of  half  the  rates.  The  local  surveyor  of  taxes 
declined  to  accept  them  as  market  gardens,  and  the  Union  Assessment 
Committee  upheld  him,  on  which  this  appeal  was  lodged.  The  appeal 
was  defended  by  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue,  on  whose  behalf  counsel 
contended  that  the  Agricultural  Rates  Act,  which  was.  passed  for  the 
benefit  of  distressed  agriculture,  expressly  exempted  agricultural  build¬ 
ings  from  its  operation,  and  that  the  glass  houses  in  which  the  appellants’ 
fruit  was  grown  were  buildings  within  the  meaning  of  the  Act,  and 
therefore  not  liable  to  any  relief  from  taxation.  The  court,  however, 
upheld  the  appeal,  with  costs. 
-  Cardiff  Gardeners’  Association.— The  opening  meeting 
of  the  1897  session  was  held  on  Tuesday,  January  5th,  in  the  Temperance 
Club.  Alfred  Thomas,  Esq.,  M.P.,  the  President,  occupied  the  chair, 
when  Mr.  W.  W.  Pettigrew  gave  a  lecture  on  the  “Process  of  Fertilisa¬ 
tion,”  illustrated  by  limelight.  This  lecture  also  opened  a  botany  class 
in  connection  with  the  Society.  The  lecturer  was  closely  followed  by 
all  present,  who  numbered  between  Bixty  and  seventy  members,  of 
whom  twenty-four  joined  the  class. 
-  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Association,  Spring 
Programme. — January  20th,  Mr.  R.  Hodder,  “  Manures  for  Garden 
Soils.”  February  3rd,  Mr.  J.  Mayne,  “  The  Forcing  of  Seakale, 
Asparagus,  and  other  Vegetables.”  February  17th,  Mr.  Thos.  Brock- 
bank,  “Orchids  and  their  Cultivation.”  March  3rd,  Mr.  J.  Weeks, 
“Cinerarias  and  Primulas.”  March  17th,  Hyacinth  and  general  spring 
show  ;  entries  close  13th  March  ;  achedules  on  application.  March  31st, 
Mr,  Fred  C.  Smale,  “  Flower  Shows — Past,  Present,  and  Future.” 
-  Torquay  District  Gardeners’  Association.  —  The 
members  of  the  above  Association  held  their  fifth  annual  dinner  on 
the  6th  inst.  at  Giles’  Exeter  Hotel,  Torquay.  About  seventy  sat  down, 
Dr.  R.  Hamilton  Ramsay  presiding,  and  Mr.  W.  B.  Smale  occupying  the 
vice-chair.  Commander  A.  S.  Phillpotts,  R.N.,  M.P.,  was  also  present. 
Toasts  were  given,  and  an  excellent  musical  programme,  arranged  by 
Mr.  W.  A.  Masterman,  was  carried  out.  A  most  enjoyable  evening  was 
spent.  The  general  arrangements  were  made  by  Mr.  F.  C.  Smale  (Hon. 
Secretary),  and  the  tables  were  beautifully  decorated  with  plants  and 
cut  flowers  by  Messrs.  F.  Peacock  and  S.  Vallance. 
- Isle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Improvement  Associa¬ 
tion. — The  annual  meeting  of  this  Association  was  held  at  War- 
burton’s  Hotel,  Newport,  on  Saturday,  January  9th,  when  there  was 
a  large  attendance  of  members  present.  The  balance  sheet  and 
report  were  adopted.  The  former  showed  the  Association  to  be  in  a 
good  financial  condition,  whilst  the  report  gave  a  favourable  account 
of  the  work  done  by  the  Association,  from  a  gardener’s  point  of 
view.  Mr.  J.  Merritt,  gardener  to  H.R.H,  Princess  Beatrice,  Osborne 
Cottage,  I  W.,  staged  fine  collections  of  Princess  of  Wales  and  Princess 
Beatrice  Violets.  Several  of  the  individual  blooms  measured  close  upon 
1|  inch  in  diameter.  For  this  excellent  exhibit  Mr.  Merritt  received 
the  Association’s  certificate  of  cultural  merit.  Mr.  W.  Matthews,  of 
Carisbrooke  Cemetery,  staged  a  fine  Chrysanthemum  bloom  of  Mrs. 
C.  E.  Shea.  The  next  lecture  is  on  February  6th,  when  Mr.  H.  J. 
Jones,  of  Lewisham,  will  be  the  lecturer  on  “  Chrysanthemums.” 
— S.  Heaton. 
-  Wakefield  Paxton  Society. — There  was  a  large  attendance 
at  the  meeting  on  Saturday,  January  2nd,  Lieutenant  Goodyear 
presiding,  and  Mr.  J.  G.  Brown  being  in  the  vice-chair.  Mr.  G.  Parkin, 
President  of  the  Wakefield  Naturalists’  Society,  was  the  essayist,  and 
his  subject  was  “  A  Chat  about  Small  Birds — Finches,”  and  his  remarks 
were  illustrated  by  a  large  number  of  beautifully  preserved  specimens, 
and  also  by  photoB  of  nests.  A  discussion  followed  Mr.  Parkin’s  dis¬ 
course.  Mr.  Eastwood,  Stanley,  suggested  the  provision  of  an  aviary  in 
the  Public  Park,  saying  it  would  be  a  great  attraction,  and  be  the  means  of 
cultivating  the  study  of  birds.  The  Chairman  thought  the  suggestion 
of  Mr.  Eastwood  a  valuable  one.  The  Government  Inspectors  de¬ 
precated  the  exhibition  of  stuffed  specimens  in  elementary  schools, 
and  as  it  was  almost  impossible  for  town  children  to  see  many  of  the 
birds  common  to  the  district  alive,  an  aviary  was  just  the  thing  which 
was  needed  in  a  public  park.  Several  other  members  agreed  with  the 
suggestion,  and  thought  it  one  which  was  well  worth  consideration  by 
the  Park  Trustees.  A  cordial  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  Mr.  Parkin. 
-  The  Physic  Garden  at  Chelsea.— This  is  well-nigh  the 
sole  remnant  of  picturesque  old  Chelsea  left  untouched  by  the  brick 
and  mortar  fiend.  As  far  as  its  original  purpose  goes  it  has  long  been 
useless,  although  kept  up  carefully  by  the  Apothecaries’  Company. 
Should  the  Company  give  up  its  charge  it  will  fall  into  the  bands  of 
Earl  Cadogan.  Its  value  as  a  site  for  building  purposes  is  obvious,  but 
it  would  be  a  thousand  pities  for  this,  the  last  of  many  old  English 
botanic  gardens,  to  be  lost  to  posterity.  The  names  of  Sloane,  Banks, 
Linnaeus,  Miller,  and  Lindley  are  all  inseparably  connected  with  it, 
and  it  is  full  of  plants  that  are  aristocrats  of  their  kind,  since  they 
possess  a  pedigree  dating  back  to  the  days  when  their  ancestors  were 
first  introduced  to  this  country.  A  contemporary  learns  that  a  project 
for  acquiring  this  spot  of  many  memories  is  again  before  the  local 
authorities. 
