116 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
Febiuary  11,  1897. 
Weather  in  London,  —  The  weather  in  London  during  the 
past  week  has  been  characterised  by  many  changes.  On  Thursday 
night  of  last  week  rain  fell  heavily,  as  it  did  on  Friday.  Saturday 
and  Sunday  brought  slight  night  frosts,  but  on  Monday  it  was  wtt 
again.  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  were  very  dull,  though  little  rain  fell 
on  either  day. 
-  Weather  in  the  North. — The  weather  for  a  week  has  been 
very  unpleasant.  The  frost  gave  way  on  the  3rd  inst,,  and  was  followed 
for  several  days  by  a  cold  undecided  thaw  with  easterly  wind.  On 
Saturday  afternoon  the  wind  set  into  the  west,  and  the  snow  rapidly 
disappeared.  The  morning  of  Tuesday  was  inclined  to  be  showery  with 
a  brisk  breeze  from  the  west. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
-  Death  of  Mrs.  Fosteb-Melliar. — It  is  with  extreme  regret, 
in  which  numbers  of  rosarians  and  others  will  share,  that  we  have  to 
record  the  death  of  the  beloved  wife  of  the  Rev.  A.  Foster- Melliar,  which 
occurred  at  Sproughton  Rectory,  near  Ipswich,  on  Thursday  morning 
last.  The  deceased  lady  had  been  seriously  ill  for  some  time,  but  under 
the  best  procurable  medical  skill  and  attention  it  was  hoped  she  would 
survive.  We  are  informed,  however,  that  the  combination  of  diphtheria, 
pneumonia,  and  pleurisy  so  weakened  her,  that  after  the  fever  part  of 
the  illness  she  had  not  strength  to  rally.  Mrs.  Foster-Melliar  was  a 
most  charming  lady,  taken  away  in  the  prime  of  life.  Her  loss  will  be 
deeply  mourned  by  a  sorrowing  family,  and  unbounded  sympathy 
extended  to  the  Rector  in  his  great  bereavement. 
-  Shropshire  Horticultural  Society. — The  annual  meeting 
of  the  members  of  this  Society  was  held  on  Monday  last,  February  8th, 
under  the  presidency  of  the  Mayor  of  Shrewsbury  in  the  absence  of 
Sir  W.  0.  Corbet,  Bart.,  the  President.  The  accounts  submitted  showed 
that  the  receipts  for  the  year  were  nearly  £4300,  of  which  sum  over 
£3000  was  for  admission  by  ticket  or  payment  at  the  entrance  alone. 
The  subscriptions  amounted  to  £445,  other  receipts  making  up  the 
amount  named.  The  expenses  of  the  floral  Hite  were  about  £3100,  and 
the  gross  profit  on  the  fete  was  £1200.  After  deducting  the  expenses 
of  the  spring  show  and  sundry  sums  voted  the  net  profit  of  the  year  was 
£1015,  which  will  be  expended  as  has  been  announced  in  the  erection 
of  a  bronze  statue  to  Charles  Darwin.  The  cash  prizes  awarded 
were  considerably  over  £800.  Lord  Kenyon  was  elected  President  for 
1897.  The  commemorative  show  to  be  held  in  August  next  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  R.H.S,  was  referred  to  in  the  report,  and  no  expense 
will  be  spared  to  make  this  show  one  of  the  finest  in  England.  Hearty 
votes  of  thanks  were  given  to  the  Hon.  Secretaries,  Messrs.  Adnitt  and 
Naunton,  and  the  other  officials  of  the  Society. 
-  Horticultural  Club. — The  twenty-second  annual  dinner 
of  the  members  and  friends  of  this  Club  was  held  at  the  Hotel  Windsor, 
Victoria  Street,  Westminster,  on  Tuesday  evening  last.  The  highly 
respected  President  of  the  Club,  Sir  John  D.  T,  Llewelyn,  Bart.,  M.P., 
though  engaged  in  the  House  of  Commons  during  the  dinner,  hastened 
away  immediately  after  the  division  on  a  subject  with  which  he  was 
clotely  identified  in  time  to  conduct  the  after  proceedings,  which  he  did 
with  consummate  ability  and  tact.  The  tables  were  beautifully,  in  fact 
almost  too  heavily,  decorated  with  plants  and  flowers  by  Messrs.  Veitch 
and  Sons,  Limited,  while  fruit  was  abundantly  supplied  by  Messrs. 
Assbee,  Monro,  Rivers,  Bunyard,  and  others.  Mr.  George  Bunyard  also 
contributed  substantially  to  the  musical  part  of  the  proceedings  ;  his 
sod,  Mr.  Ashdown  Bunyard,  ably  presiding  at  the  pianoforte,  and  a 
“  Band  of  Brothers,”  the  Messrs.  Lamb,  being  brought  from  Maidstone 
— a  quartette  of  vocalists  who  gave  great  satisfaction.  Mr.  Harry 
Turner  also  demonstrated  his  mastery  over  the  concertina  in  the  render¬ 
ing  of  charming  solos.  In  addition  to  the  loyal  toasts,  were  given  the 
“  Horticultural  Club,”  the  “  Royal  Horticultural  Society,”  the  “Visitors,” 
and  the  “Chairman.”  Among  the  guests  were  the  Clerks  to  the 
Ancient  City  Guilds,  the  Gardeners’  and  the  Fruiterers’  Companies,  Mr. 
J.  Wright,  Journal  of  Horticulture ,  and  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright,  Chiswick. 
The  principal  speakers  were  the  Chairman,  Secretary,  Mr.  George  Paul, 
Mr.  C.  E.  Shea,  and  Mr,  George  Bunyard,  and  a  very  pleasant  evening 
was  spent  by  all  who  were  present  ou  the  enjoyable  occasion. 
-  Gardening  Appointments. — Mr.  Mark  Woollard,  for  seven 
years  foreman  at  Thoresby,  has  been  appointed  gardener  to  — Gill,  E?q., 
Woodheys  Hall,  Ashton-upon-Mersey.  Mr.  H.  T.  Martin,  for  nearly 
four  years  foreman  with  Mr.  E.  Beckett,  Aldenham  House  Gardens,  has 
been  appointed  gardener  to  the  Right  Hod.  Lord  Leigh,  Stoneleigh 
Abbey,  Kenilworth. 
-  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  —  Readers 
will  recollect  our  calling  attention  (page  46)  to  the  Victorian  Era 
Fund,  promulgated  for  the  temporary  assistance  of  candidates  awaiting 
election.  We  are  glad  to  announce  that  in  aid  of  this  excellent  fund 
a  performance  of  the  well-known  comedy-opera  “  Dorothy  ”  will  be 
given  by  the  Westminster  Amateur  Operatic  and  Dramatic  Society  at 
St.  George’s  Hall,  Langham  Place,  on  Thursday,  February  18th,  1897. 
Considering  the  object  of  the  performance,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
response  will  be  hearty,  and  that  the  fund  will  benefit  to  a  material 
extent.  Tickets  may  be  obtained  from  Mr.  H.  Morgan  Veitch,. 
16,  Clifford's  Inn,  E.C.,  who  is  Secretary  for  the  performance. 
-  Rooting  Carnation  Cuttings. — The  various  methods  of 
rooting  Carnation  cuttings  were  ably  described  by  Mr.  W.  Bardney  on 
page  73.  Last  summer  I  tried  for  the  first  time  the  “  mossiDg  dodge,”' 
which  I  saw  described  in  the  “  Field  ”  some  time  previously,  and  was 
surprised  at  how  well  it  succeeded.  A  cut  is  made  through  a  joint,  as 
in  the  process  of  layering.  A  small  piece  of  stone  or  cinder  is  placed  in 
the  cut  to  keep  it  open,  and  a  piece  of  moss  tied  round  it.  The  plants 
were  kept  syringed  to  keep  the  moss  moist,  and  in  three  weeks  the 
cuttings  were  fit  to  cut  off  and  place  in  small  pots,  moss  and  all. 
This  refers  to  Malmaisons.  By  this  means  shoots  too  short  ti  layer  can 
be  rooted  just  as  easily  and  safely  as  longer  ones  will  by  layering. — R.  I„ 
-  Isle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Association.  —  The 
monthly  meeting  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Improvement 
Association  was  held  at  the  Guildhall,  Newport,  on  Saturday  last.  Dr. 
Groves,  B.A.,  J.P.,  presided  over  a  large  audience  to  hear  a  paper  read 
by  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones  of  Ryecroft  Nurseries,  Lewisham,  on  the  Chrys¬ 
anthemum.  Mr.  Jones,  in  a  leDgthy,  well  written  essay,  dealt  with 
the  cultivation  of  “  mums”  from  the  taking  of  the  cuttings  to  staging 
the  blooms  at  exhibitions.  At  the  close  a  collection  was  made  in  aid  of 
the  Gardeners’  Benevolent  and  Orphan  Funds,  which  amounted  to 
£2  4s.  Several  new  members  were  elected.  The  next  lecture  will  be 
given  by  Mr.  W.  Lubbick,  F.R.H.S.,  Brooke  House,  I. W.,  on  “  Winter 
Vegetables.” 
-  Balancing  Accounts. — When  a  few  days  since  I  rode  by 
train  along  a  great  portion  of  the  county  of  Surrey  traversed  by  the 
river  Wey,  which  finally  empties  into  Father  Thames,  the  parent,  or  at 
any  rate  the  recipient  just  now  of  so  many  other  flowing  streams,  and 
saw  how  for  many  miles  and  in  all  directions  it  had  overflowed  its  banks, 
covering  hundreds  of  acres  of  land  with  its  flood,  I  could  but  realise 
that  Nature  had  been  not  merely  balancing  accounts,  but  doing  so  with 
compound  interest.  Now  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  deficiencies  of 
previous  years  have  been  made  up,  and  all  the  rain  that  may  fall,  as 
probably  much  will  fall  during  the  present  traditional  fill-ditch  month, 
will  be  largely  surplusage.  Like  to  a  gorged  stomach,  the  land  not  only 
cries  “  Hold,  enough,”  but  seems  to  reject  what  now  falls  of  water,  and 
thus  every  ditch,  and  streamlet,  and  river  is  more  than  full.  It  is  rather 
more  than  two  years  since  we  had  such  heavy  and  continuous  rains,  but 
so  far  happily  the  present  ones  have  not  been  followed  by  such  disasters. 
Those  floods,  too,  of  the  winter  of  1894-95  were  followed  by  intense 
frosts,  such  as  we  have  to  encounter  about  once  only  in  a  lifetime.  It 
does  not  seem  at  all  probable  that  frosts  of  any  severe  character  will 
now  follow,  and  indeed  we  hope  it  may  not  be  so.  Light  porous  soils 
are  wet  enough  and  the  subsoils  thoroughly  saturated,  whilst  stiff  clays, 
are  in  a  terribly  sodden  state.  These  specially  need  a  dry  time  to 
enable  them  to  part  with  their  toe  abundant  moisture  ere  baking 
March  winds  come.  We  may  be  certain  now  that  trees,  shrubs,  or  all 
deep-rooting  things  will  not  lack  root  moisture  during  the  ensuing 
summer. — A.  D. 
-  113°  in  the  Shade. — The  mail  brings  tidings  of  intense 
heat  in  New  South  Wales  at  Christmas  time.  In  Sydney  it  was  bad,, 
but  at  Broken  Hill,  with  113°  in  the  shade,  it  was  unbearable.  At 
Wilcannia  a  terrible  dust  storm  prevailed  ;  at  Maitland  very  considerable 
damage  was  done  to  the  Grape  crops.  The  Vine  in  the  sister  colony,  at 
Bendigo,  is  beiDg  harassed  by  the  old  enemy,  phylloxera.  On 
December  27th  showers  fell  in  Melbourne  charged  with  a  finely 
powdered  substance  of  a  reddish  tinge,  and  the  streets  presented  the 
appearance  of  having  been  stained  with  red. 
