January  14,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
33 
- Adulterants  of  Vegetable  Substances. — The  Rontgen 
rays  have  been  employed  with  good  effect  by  Dr.  F.  Ranwez  in  the 
detection  of  mineral  matters  used  in  the  adulteration  of  saffron.  The 
chief  adulterants  are  barium  and  potassium  nitrate,  which  in  some 
instances  are  largely  used.  His  plan,  says  a  contemporary,  was  to 
wrap  a  gelatino-bromide  plate  in  black  paper,  place  the  saffron  on  this, 
on  the  same  side  as  the  sensitive  film,  then  allow  the  rays  to  act  for 
four  minutes ;  developing  and  fixing  afterwards  in  the  usual  manner. 
The  foreign  matter  is  sharply  indicated  in  photographs  obtained. 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society.  —  The  annual  general 
meeting  of  the  Society  will  be  held  at  25,  Great  George  Street,  West¬ 
minster,  on  Wednesday,  the  20th  instant,  at  7.45  p.m,,  when  the  report 
of  the  Council  will  be  read,  the  election  of  officers  and  Council  for  the 
ensuing  year  will  take  place,  and  the  President  (Mr.  E.  Mawleyi 
F.R.H.S.)  will  deliver  an  address  on  “  Shade  Temperature,”  which  will 
be  illustrated  by  lantern  Blides.  The  above  meeting  will  be  preceded  by 
an  ordinary  meeting,  which  will  commence  at  7.30  p.m. 
-  Weather  in  the  North. — For  a  week  the  weather  has 
been  generally  dull  and  cold,  with  occasional  high  winds  during  the 
night.  Saturday  was  extremely  unpleasant,  gleams  of  sunshine  alter¬ 
nating*  with  snow  showers  driving  before  a  biting  east  wind.  There 
were  5°  of  frost  during  the  night ;  Monday  afternoon  and  evening  were 
wet ;  Tuesday  morning  misty  and  cold.  The  Aconite  and  Snowdrop 
are  in  bloom,  Crocuses  and  Daffodils  well  above  ground,  and  stage 
Auriculas  are  beginning  to  move,  while  Violas,  white  and  yellow,  have 
been  in  continuous  flower. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
- —  The  Weather  Last  Month.— December  was  dull,  damp, 
and  milder  than  usual.  The  wind  was  in  a  southerly  direction  twenty- 
two  days.  Total  rainfall,  3  30  inches,  which  fell  on  twenty-four  days; 
the  greatest  daily  fall  being  0  65  inch  on  the  4th.  Barometer,  highest 
reading,  30'064  on  the  27th  at  9  p.m.  ;  lowest,  28'468  on  the  6th  at 
1  P.M.  Thermometers,  highest  in  the  shade,  52®  on  the  26th  ;  lowest, 
25°  on  the  16th  and  24th.  Mean  of  daily  maxima,  42‘35°;  mean  of 
daily  minima,  33-35°.  Mean  temperatuie  of  the  month,  37  85°  ;  lowest 
on  the  grass,  20°  on  the  10th  and  24th  ;  highest  in  the  sun,  79°  on  the 
8th  ;  mean  of  earth  at  3  feet,  40  96°.  Total  sunshine,  40  hours  55  minutes. 
There  were  fifteen  sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers,  Grantham. 
-  Free  Horticultural  Library.  —  We  learn  that  the 
Corporation  of  Worthing  has  recently  opened  a  free  library  in  which 
the  books  of  horticultural  interest  which  have  been  got  together  form  a 
most  important  and  special  feature.  The  commendable  action  of 
Worthing  in  thus  recognising  the  value  of  horticulture  is  a  most  happy 
venture,  and  we  trust  is  an  example  that  will  soon  be  followed  by  other 
corporations.  The  majority  of  our  public  libraries  are  very  deficient  in 
horticultural  literature,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  to  horticulture  that 
we  have  to  look  for  assistance  in  solving  that  great  problem  of  how  to 
feed  the  people. 
-  Mimuluses. — The  beautiful  so-called  Monkey  Flowers,  of 
which  there  are  now  such  fine  strains,  self  and  spotted,  are  far  too 
seldom  found  in  gardens.  Perhaps  it  will  be  pleaded  in  extenuation  by 
gardeners  that  they  cannot  grow  everything,  and  that  is  very  true  ;  still 
farther,  such  is  the  demand  for  flowers  that  can  be  used  in  a  cut  state, 
that  many  beautiful  things  unsuitable  for  cutting  are  neglected. 
Certainly  the  spotted  Mimulus  is  amongst  these  little-grown  plants,  yet 
its  culture  is  simple,  and  the  flowers  produced  in  the  open  garden,  where 
the  plants  may  be  grown,  are  really  gorgeously  coloured  and  beautiful. 
Mimuluses  are  very  hardy,  although  not  absolutely  so,  and  like  cool 
treatment.  Too  often  at  the  outset  the  seed  is  sown  in  warmth,  and  too 
densely ;  then  the  Beedlings  rapidly  become  drawn  or  weak,  and  rarely 
indeed  do  they  make  presentable  plants.  My  own  practice  for  many 
years  was  to  sow  the  seed  thinly  in  shallow  pans  and  on  fine  sandy  Boil. 
This  was  done  early  in  January,  and  in  an  unheated  greenhouse.  If 
severe  frost  came  the  pans  were  protected  by  the  aid  of  newspaper 
coverings.  Still,  so  hardy  relatively  are  the  seedling  plants,  that  frosts 
did  them  little  or  no  harm.  So  soon  as  large  enough  the  little  plants 
were  lifted  and  pricked  out  thinly  into  other  pans  or  boxes,  where  they 
would  remain  a  few  weeks ;  then  be  planted  out  into  a  cold  frame  near 
the  glass,  getting  ample  light  and  air.  Towards  the  end  of  April,  being 
well  hardened,  they  were  transplanted  outdoors  about  10  inches  apart, 
where  they  made  dense  bushy  plants,  and  bloomed  profusely  during  the 
early  summer,  and  then  outdoors  again  in  the  autumn.  Mimuluses  seed 
freely,  the  seed  being  very  small.  The  chief  danger  in  sowing  is 
excessive  thickness.  It  germinates  very  readily  in  a  low  tempera¬ 
ture. — A.  D. 
-  Death  of  Mr.  J.  Webber. — We  regret  to  have  to  announce 
the  death  of  this  well-known  Covent  Garden  salesman,  which  occurred 
on  the  4th  inst.  Mr.  Webber’s  establishment  in  the  Central  Avenue  is 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  market,  having  been  carried  on  originally  by  his 
father,  and  at  his  death  by  his  mother,  in  conjunction  with  Mr,  Tayler; 
The  deceased  was  in  his  fifty-sixth  year. 
-  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund.  —  A  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Committee  was  held  on  the  8th  inst.,  Wm.  Marshall,  Esq.,  in 
the  chair.  Applications  were  received  from  thirteen  candidates  to  be 
placed  on  the  Fund  at  the  next  election,  and  these  being  found  eligible 
were  duly  accepted.  The  Committee,  in  consideration  of  this  being 
the  sixtieth  year  of  Her  Majesty’s  reign,  and  the  Fund  having  been 
established  by  the  gardeners  of  this  country  in  commemoration  of  Her 
Majesty’s  Jubilee,  have  resolved  to  recommend  to  the  subscribers  that 
the  whole  of  the  candidates  be  elected  (without  ballot)  at  the  next 
annual  meeting,  on  February  19th.  It  has  been  arranged  that  the 
annual  dinner  be  held  this  year  at  the  Hotel  Cecil  on  April  30thj 
Sir  J.  Whittaker  Ellis,  Bart.,  presiding.  The  following  receipts  were 
announced  by  the  Secretary,  the  donors  being  specially  thanked  — 
The  Altrincham  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society  (proceeds  of 
concert),  £30  10s.  ;  H.  J.  Jones,  Lewisham,  £10  15s.  ;  Reigate  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  Society,  £10;  Scottish  Horticultural  Association,  £5  5s.; 
J.  H.  Vallance  (sale  of  flowers  at  Bristol  Chrysanthemum  show),  £5  5s.  $ 
J.  B.  Stevenson,  Bournemouth  (box),  £1  9«, t  5d.  ;  J.  Day,  Galloway, 
Garlieston  (box),  £1  Is. 
-  Grand  Yorkshire  Gala.  —  On  the  8th  inst.  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  guarantors  and  life  members  of  the  Grand  Yorkshire 
Gala  was  held  at  Harker’s  Hotel,  York.  In  the  absence  of  Aid.  Sir  Joseph 
Terry,  J.P.  (the  Chairman  of  the  Council),  the  Lord  Mayor  (President 
of  the  Gala)  took  the  chair,  and  there  was  a  good  attendance.  Upon 
the  result  of  last  year’s  Gala,  he  said  that  those  associated  with  the  f6te 
had  every  reason  to  congratulate  themselves.  It  had  proved  one  of  their 
most  successful  ventures.  Had  the  weather  been  fine  on  the  opening 
day,  the  gala  might  have  been  a  record  one.  As  it  was  there  had  been 
some  extraordinary  expenses,  so  that  a  most  favourable  balance  had 
been  somewhat  diminished.  They  were,  however,  prepared  with  a 
schedule  of  £750  for  the  ensuing  year,  which  amount  he  believed  was  as 
large  as  that  offered  by  any  horticultural  society  in  the  country.  Aid. 
Border  proposed  the  re-election  of  Sir  Joseph  Terry  as  Chairman  of  the 
Council  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  alluded  to  his  long  connection  with 
the  f&e.  Mr.  George  Kirby  seconded  the  proposition,  which  was 
unanimously  agreed  to.  The  President  moved  the  election  of  Aid. 
Border  as  Vice-Chairman.  Mr.  Henry  Scott  seconded,  which  was 
assented  to  nem.  con.  The  President  announced  that  satisfactory 
arrangements  had  been  made  with  the  Bootham  Asylum  authorities 
for  the  holding  of  the  fffte  in  June  next,  whilst  he  again  consented 
to  act  as  President,  and  the  City  Sheriff  (Aid.  Dodsworth)  had  agreed 
to  become  a  life  member.  Mr.  Joseph  Wilkinson  was  re-elected 
Treasurer,  Mr.  C.  W.  Simmons  Secretary,  and  Messrs.  Pearson  and 
Taylor  Auditors. 
-  Societe  Francaise  d’Horticulture  de  Londres.  —  The 
members  of  this  Society  held  their  eighth  anniversary  dinner  at  the 
Imperial  Restaurant,  Strand,  on  Saturday  evening  last,  and  it  was 
probably  the  most  successful  one  that  has  yet  been  held.  Mr.  George 
Nicholson,  Kew,  occupied  the  chair,  and  he  was  supported  by  several 
representatives  of  English  horticulture.  The  proceedings  were  almost 
wholly  in  French,  and  in  introducing  the  Chairman  to  the  assembled 
company  Mr.  George  Schneider,  as  President  of  the  Society,  reminded 
them  of  the  great  interest  Mr.  Nicholson  had  always  taken  in  the 
welfare  of  the  Society  and  of  its  members,  for  he,  like  them,  knew  what 
it  was  to  live  in  a  foreign  land,  in  order  to  gain  experience  and  complete 
his  horticultural  education.  Mr.  Nicholson  responded  in  well  chosen 
and  appropriate  terms,  complimenting  the  Society  on  the  good  work  it 
was  doing,  and  referring  to  the  substantial  progress,  as  evidenced  by 
their  balance-sheet,  that  the  Society  had  made.  He  also  paid  a  tribute 
of  respect  to  their  excellent  President,  Mr.  Schneider,  for  the  way  in 
which  he  had  fulfilled  that  post,  and  he  drank  to  the  continued 
prosperity  of  the  Society.  Mr.  Schneider  returned  thanks  on  behalf 
of  himself,  and  was  pleased  to  find  the  Society  meeting  with  uhe  support 
of  English  horticulturists.  Other  speeches  were  made  by  Mr.  C. 
Harman  Payne,  Mr.  Gachelin,  and  Mr.  May.  Songs  and  recitations 
by  the  members  formed  an  important  feature  of  the  evening  s 
entertainment,  and  the  proceedings  were  brought  to  a  close  by  the 
company  singing  the  French,  Belgian,  Swiss,  and  English  national 
anthems. 
