January  28,  18 §7. 
JOURNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
?5 
-  The  Weather  has  been  of  a  very  winterly  character  during 
the  past  week.  Friday  was  very  stormy,  with  blinding  snowstorms 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  at  night  accompanied  with 
heavy  thunder  and  vivid  flashes  of  lightning.  The  snow  is  very  much 
drifted  in  places,  3  to  4  feet  deep,  bat  the  average  depth  was  about 
6  inches,  making  locomotion  very  tedious  and  difficult,  consequently 
ail  gardening  operations  are  practically  at  a  standstill  in  this  neighbour¬ 
hood. — G.  R.  Allis,  Old  Warden  Park,  Beds. 
-  The  Weather— Summary  for  the  Year,  1896.— This  was 
remarkable  for  a  small  rainfall  and  high  temperature  during  the  first  five 
months,  and  a  heavy  rainfall  with  deficiency  of  sunshine  during 
September,  October,  and  December.  The  total  rainfall  was  2  63  inches 
below  the  average,  although  the  month  of  September  gave  T83  inch 
above  the  average  for  the  month,  and  was  the  wettest  September  since 
1883.  The  prevailing  direction  of  the  wind  was  W.  on  118  days.  Total 
rainfall  24‘46  inches,  which  fell  on  202  days,  the  greatest  daily  fall 
being  0'89  inch  on  July  7th,  Barometer — Highest  reading,  30'698  on 
January  9th  at  noon  ;  lowest,  28‘454  on  March  4th  at  9  A.M.  Thermo¬ 
meters — Highest  in  shade,  86°,  June  16th  and  July  21st  ;  lowest,  16°, 
February  26th.  Mean  of  daily  maxima,  55  82°;  mean  of  daily 
minima,  41‘14°.  Mean  temperature  of  the  year,  48  AS0  ;  lowest  on 
grass,  9°  on  February  26th  ;  highest  in  sun,  145°,  June  16th.  Mean 
of  earth  at  3  feet,  49  25°.  Total  sunshine,  1409  hours  20  minutes  ; 
we  had  seventy-nine  sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers,  Belvoir  Castle 
Gardens ,  Grantham. 
-  Gardening  Scholarships.— Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  the  Master 
of  the  Worshipful  Company  of  Gardeners,  has  offered  a  scholarship  of 
£25  a  year  for  two  years,  to  be  awarded  after  the  examination  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  on  April  6th,  1897,  to  the  Btudent  that  shall 
pass  highest,  if  he  is  willing  to  accept  the  conditions  attaching  thereto. 
The  main  outline  ofjthese  conditions  is  that  the  holder  must  be  between 
the  ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-two  years,  and  that  he  will  study  garden¬ 
ing  for  one  year  at  least  at  the  R.H.S.  Gardens  at  Chiswick,  conforming 
to  the  general  rules  laid  down  there  for  students.  In  the  second 
year  of  the  scholarship  he  may,  if  he  like,  continue  his  studies  at 
some  other  place  at  home  or  abroad  which  shall  be  approved  by  the 
Gardeners’  Company  and  by  the  R.H.S.  Council.  A  similar  scholar¬ 
ship  has  been  kindly  promised  for  1898-9  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Burrows.  If 
the  student  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  examination  is  for  any  reason 
unable  or  unwilling  to  accept  the  scholarship,  it  is  then  offered  to  the 
next  highest  on  the  list,  and  so  on  throughout  the  first  class. — 
(“  Gardeners’  Magazine.”) 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society. —  The  annual  general 
meeting  of  this  Society  was  held  on  Wednesday,  the  20th  inst.,  at  the 
Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Great  George  Street,  Westminster, 
Mr.  E.  Mawley,  F.R.H.S.,  President,  in  the  chair.  The  Secretary  read 
the  Report  of  the  Council,  which  showed  that  the  Society  had  made 
steady  progress  during  the  past  year,  there  being  an  increase  of  seven¬ 
teen  in  the  number  of  Fellows.  The  President  then  delivered  an  address 
on  “  Shade  Temperatures,”  in  which  he  stated  that  of  all  meteorological 
observations  there  were  none  approaching  in  importance  those  made  of 
the  temperature  of  the  air — generally  known  as  “  shade  temperature.” 
Indeed,  the  first  question  invariably  asked  in  regard  to  almost  any 
climate  was  as  to  its  temperature.  Mr.  Mawley  traced  the  history  of 
the  different  methods  of  exposing  thermometers  Bince  the  time  that 
regular  observations  of  the  weather  had  been  made  in  this  country. 
For  many  years  open  screens  were  most  favoured  by  meteorologists,  that 
devised  by  Mr.  J.  Glaisher,  F.R.S.,  and  the  late  Astronomer  Royal 
(Sir  G.  B.  Airy)  being  the  pattern  principally  used.  In  1864  Mr.  T. 
Stevenson,  C.E  ,  invented  an  admirable  form  of  closed  screen  with 
louvred  sides,  which  was  considered  preferable  to  the  open  type  of 
screen,  and  has  now  almost  entirely  superseded  the  Glaisher  stand.  In 
1883  the  Stevenson  screen  was  considerably  improved  by  a  Committee  of 
the  Royal  Meteorological  Society.  Mr.  Mawley  then  described  his  own 
experiments  at  Croydon  and  Berkhamsted  as  regards  this  improved 
screen,  known  as  the  Royal  Meteorological  Society’s  pattern.  He 
showed  that  the  only  two  defects  which  had  been  attributed  to  this 
form  of  thermometer  exposure  were  virtually  non-existent,  and  there, 
fore  advised  its  general  adoption  both  in  this  country  and  on  the 
Continent.  Mr.  Mawley  had  recently  made  observations  in  the  Steven¬ 
son  screen,  and  also  in  the  screens  used  in  France  and  Germany,  and 
the  conclusion  he  had  come  to  was  that  the  results  obtained  in  the 
Stevenson  screen  were  not  only  the  nearest  to  the  true  air  temperatures, 
but  also  more  likely  to  be  strictly  comparable  with  temperatures  taken 
in  a  similar  screen  but  with  different  surroundings  elsewhere. 
- -  Lee,  Lewisham,  and  Blackheath  Horticultural 
Society. — We  gather  from  the  report  of  this  well-known  suburban 
Society  that  special  efforts  will  be  made  during  this  year  of  Her 
Majesty’s  Diamond  Jubilee  to  produce  an  exhibition  worthy  of  the 
occasion.  The  winter  session,  it  is  said,  is  in  full  swing,  and  judging 
from  the  tone  of  the  meetings  and  the  excellence  of  the  papers  read  it 
is  expected  to  prove  one  of  the  most  successful  the  Society  has  yet  held. 
- Barnsley  Paxton  Society.— The  thirteenth  annual  meeting 
of  the  Barnsley  Paxton  Society  was  held  on  Tuesday  last  the  19th  inst. 
Mr.  John  Henshall,  superintendent  of  Locke  Park,  occupying  the  chair. 
The  report  and  balance-sheet  as  read  by  the  Secretary,  Mr.  S.  Balangeri 
showed  the  Society  to  be  in  a  sound  and  flourishing  state.  During  the 
past  year  twenty-six  meetings  had  been  held,  devoted  to  the  discussion 
of  the  most  important  current  gardening  subjects.  The  attendance 
showed  a  high  percentage,  and  the  Committee  had  every  reason  to  be 
gratified  by  the  interest  in  the  papers  read,  the  sound,  practical,  and 
genuine  participation  in  the  discussions  by  the  members.  The  library  had 
been  augmented,  and  they  might  claim  to  have  spent  the  money  voted 
for  that  purpose,  about  £5,  in  a  judicious  manner.  They  had  still 
a  substantial  balance  in  hand,  and  taking  everything  into  due  con¬ 
sideration  they  might  fairly  claim  the  past  year  the  most  successful 
one  in  the  Society’s  career  of  thirteen  years’  duration.  Mr.  Henshall 
was  re-elected  as  President;  Messrs.  Geo.  Wright,  J.  Parker- Reeves, 
and  Battey  Vice-Presidents ;  Mr.  W.  Hoey,  Treasurer;  Mr.  Hancock, 
Librarian;  Mr.  Winter,  Curator;  Messrs.  Wilkinson  and  Rideau, 
Auditors. — T.  G. 
- A  Claim  for  Pruning  Fruit  Trees.— At  the  Hereford 
County  Court  on  Tuesday  in  last  week,  before  his  Honour  Judge  Harris 
Lea,  Mr.  John  Watkins,  Pomona  Farm,  Withington,  sued  Mr.  Chas. 
Davies  Andrews,  solicitor,  of  Leominster,  for  £3  6s.,  balance  of  account 
as  follows ;— May,  1896,  to  pruning  trees  at  Leysters  Farm,  men’s  time, 
and  expenses,  £26  6s.  6d. ;  by  cash,  £23  Os.  6d. ;  balance,  £3  63.  In 
August,  1893,  the  plaintiff,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Andrews,  made  an 
inspection  of  the  trees  to  see  what  would  be  required  in  the  way  of 
pruning.  In  November,  1895,  Mr.  Andrews  wrote  to  Mr.  Watkins 
asking  him  to  recommend  a  man  to  him  whom  he  could  rely  on  to  do 
the  pruning  in  the  orchard  he  had  walked  over,  Mr.  Watkins,  in 
accordance  with  that  letter,  recommended  a  man  named  Parry,  who 
bore  the  reputation  of  being  a  skilful  and  experienced  man.  Mr. 
Andrews,  in  defence,  contended  that  the  work  was  not  properly  done. 
His  Honour  remarked  that  if  Mr.  Watkins  had  undertaken  the  work 
at  a  stated  rate  he  would  have  been  responsible  for  the  proper  carrying 
out  of  the  work.  But  that  was  not  the  case.  Having  referred  to  some 
of  the  letters  which  had  been  read,  he  thought  Mr.  Watkins  did  all 
he  could  for  the  defendant.  If  he  had  made  a  contract  it  would  have 
been  a  different  thing.  He  gave  judgment  for  plaintiff. 
FLORISTS’  FLOWERS  AT  HIGHBURY. 
Various  winter  flowering  plants  for  cut  flowers  and  decorative 
purposes  are  extensively  grown  at  Highbury,  the  well  kept  establishrnent 
of  the  Right  Hon.  J.  Chamberlain.  At  a  visit  made  just  before 
Christmas  the  splendid  conservatory  was  very  gay  with  well  grown 
Chrysanthemums  of  all  the  leading  varieties  beautifully  arranged. 
Other  flowering  plants,  such  as  Primulas,  Begonias,  Cyclamens,  Zonal 
Pelargoniums,  were  all  admirably  represented,  making  with  various 
foliage  plants  a  fine  display. 
Well  grown  Primulas  occupy  one  house,  another  being  devoted 
entirely  to  Cyclamen.  This  is  a  grand  sight,  hundreds  of  plants 
showing  large  quantities  of  their  beautiful  varied  coloured  flowers. 
Sutton’s  Butterfly  is  one  of  the  very  best  whites.  Carnations  continue 
to  give  their  useful  sweet-scented  flowers  for  cutting  purposes.  Roses 
are  breaking  well,  and  the  earliest  are  showing  a  grand  crop  of  buds, 
which  will  prove  most  useful  later  on.  Violets  are  extensively  grovvn, 
and  frames  full  of  these  are  flowering  most  profusely.  Stove  flowering 
plants  include  fine  Anthuriums,  and  Poinsettias  have  their  place  of 
welcome,  the  scarlet  bracts  showing  well,  intermixed  with  Palms  and 
other  foliage  plants.  These  are  only  a  few  things  I  noted  in  a  hurried 
ruu  through  with  Mr.  J.  Deacon  on  a  gloomy  December  day. 
I  noticed  in  the  Orchid  house  some  fine  examples  of  Cattleya 
labiata,  maxima,  Dowiana  ;  Lselia  vars.,  Dendrobiums,  Odontoglossums, 
Oncidiums,  and  many  other  well-grown  Orchids.  Speaking  of  Den- 
drobes,  I  measured  a  growth  of  Wardianum  over  4  feet  long,  thick,  and 
well-proportioned,  showing  flowers  the  whole  length.  As  these  are 
grown  in  great  quantities,  they  must  produce  a  grand  display.  I  he 
various  Lailias,  anceps  and  all  the  varieties,  are  showing  well ;  many 
dozens  of  spikes  look  moBt  promising.  These  under  the  fostering  care  of 
Mr.  Burberry,  the  Orchid  grower  here,  will  give  a  good  account  of 
themselves  in  the  near  future.— Urbanus. 
