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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  11.  1897. 
Weather  in  London. — The  weather  in  London  during  the  past 
seven  days  has  been  most  unpropitious  both  for  plant  and  human  life. 
The  frequent  rains  with  the  heavy  gales  of  wind  have  done  much 
damage,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  for  any  work  to  be  done  on  the 
land.  Nearly  every  day  since  our  last  issue  went  to  press  rain  has  fallen 
more  or  less,  though  on  Tuesday  morning  there  was  a  sharp  white  frost. 
At  the  time  of  going  to  press  on  Wednesday  it  is  bright  and  fine. 
- Weather  in  the  North, — There  has  been  frost  of  from  2° 
to  5°  on  three  mornings  during  the  week  endiDg  the  9oh  inst.,  and  on 
several  others  the  thermometer  has  stood  at  32°.  While  cold  winds  have 
been  prevalent,  some  of  the  days  have  been  fine,  Sunday  especially  so 
for  the  season.  Monday  was  colder,  and  Tuesday  morning  disagreeably 
wet,  with  cold  easterly  wind. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
-  Royal  Botanic  Society. — At  a  meeting  of  this  Society  held 
last  Saturday,  Mr.  John  Birkett,  F.L.S.,  in  the  chair,  the  Duke  of 
Bedford,  Sir  G.  Hamond  Graeme,  Bart.,  and  nineteen  others  were  elected 
Fellows.  A  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  Martindale,  calling  attention  to  the 
great  desirability  of  establishing  in  London  an  institution  for  the 
purpose  of  teaching  botany  similar  to  those  in  existence  on  the  continent, 
and  proposing  that  the  Council  should  take  charge  of  the  scheme  and 
utilise  a  portion  of  their  ground  for  the  erection  of  the  necessary  build¬ 
ings.  Among  those  present  who  gave  the  scheme  their  hearty  support 
were  Professor  Oliver,  of  University  College  ;  Mr.  D.  H.  Scott,  of  Kew  ; 
Professor  Henslow,  Professor  Greenish,  Mr.  M.  Carteighe,  and  Mr. 
E.  M.  Holmes  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society,  and  many  other  eminent 
scientists. 
-  Death  of  Mr.  Charles  Sharpe. — We  regret  to  hear  of  the 
death  of  Mr.  Charles  Sharpe,  in  his  69th  year,  which  is  said  to  have  occurred 
rather  suddenly  at  Sleaford  on  Monday  last.  The  deceased  gentleman  was 
head  of  the  great  firm  of  seed  growers  and  merchants,  which  has  long 
enjoyed,  as  it  deserved,  a  national  reputation.  Mr.  Charles  Sharpe  was 
widely  known  and  respected  in  the  Kesteven  division  of  Lincolnshire,  in 
which  he  resided,  and  of  which  he  was  Magistrate  and  Alderman,  also 
a  prominent  member  of  the  County  Agricultural  Society.  Mr.  Sharpe 
was  a  gentleman  of  broad  views,  a  sturdy  friend  of  allotment  holders 
and  farmers,  but  they  were  not  quite  strong  enough  to  return  him  to 
Parliament  in  contest  with  his  then  powerful  neighbour,  Mr.  Chaplin  of 
Blankney,  and  now  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  The  Blankney 
estate  is  now,  we  understand,  in  the  possession  of  Lord  Londesborough. 
- Wakefield  Paxton  Society  — Mr.  A.  E.  Benney  of  Brad¬ 
ford  was  the  essayist  at  a  recent  meeting,  and  his  subject  was  “All 
About  a  Daisy.”  Mr.  Milnes,  J.P.,  presided,  Mr.  J.  G.  Brown  being  in 
the  vice-chair,  and  there  was  a  large  attendance  of  members.  Mr- 
Benney  said  the  Daisy  belonged  to  the  Composite,  the  largest  natural 
order  of  plants,  and  which  had  more  flowers  or  florets  than  any  other 
family.  There  were  100,000  plants  in  this  order,  and  10,000  of  them 
belonged  to  the  Daisy  family.  A  single  Daisy  would  have  from  thirty 
to  forty  flowers  ;  they  multiplied  by  offsets,  not-  Bimply  from  seed,  and 
in  their  growth  they  exterminated  all  surrounding  vegetation.  The 
Dandelion,  Chrysanthemum,  Dahlia,  and  Anemone  were  of  the  Daisy 
order.  By  means  of  diagrams  Mr.  Benney  clearly  illustrated  the 
peculiar  structure  of  the  leaves  and  florets,  and  also  explained  the 
process  of  fertilisation  of  the  seed. 
-  Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association.  —  The  fortnightly 
meeting  was  held  recently  in  the  Athletic  Institute  as  usual  in  the  hope 
of  hearing  a  lecture,  entitled  “  Orchids  and  Orchid  Hunting,”  by 
Professor  W.  Hillhouse.  Owing,  however,  to  illness  he  was  unable  to 
be  present,  but  sent  an  excellent  representative  in  Mr.  A.  H.  R.  Buller, 
B.Sc.,  of  Mason  College,  who  discoursed  on  “  Insectivorous  or  Carnivorous 
Plants  ”  before  a  large  and  appreciative  audience.  The  highly  inter¬ 
esting  subject  was  illustrated  by  models  and  diagrams  of  the  various 
plants  embodied.  Especially  interesting  were  such  as  preserved  speci¬ 
mens  of  the  “  pitchers  ”  of  Nepenthes  Mastersiana,  and  others  of  the 
class,  as  insect  catchers  and  devourers,  as  likewise  was  a  large  model  of 
“  Venus’s  Flytrap  ”  (Dionoea  muscipula").  Various  other  insectivorous 
plants  were  also  adverted  to.  The  pleasure  of  the  meeting  was  further 
enhanced  by  a  display  of  cut  flowers. 
-  Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  William  Pither,  for  the  past- 
seventeen  years  with  Mr.  Weaver,  Oakley  Hall  Gardens,  has  beem 
appointed  head  gardener  to  W.  W.  B.  Beach,  Esq.,  M.P.,  at  Oakley 
Manor,  Basingstoke. 
-  Sutton's  Star  Primula. — This  was  one  of  the  most  useful' 
plants  for  grouping  during  the  festivities  of  Christmas.  With  tall 
Crotons,  Palms  and  Poinsettia,  and  a  carpet  of  Maidenhair  Fern,  a  light 
and  most  effective  arrangement  was  made.  It  also  makes  a  first-class- 
plant  for  decoration  in  the  conservatory. — T.  W. 
-  Presentation  to  Mr.  F.  Jordan. — The  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Portland  have  presented  Mr.  Jordan,  gardener,  Impney  Hall,  Droit- 
wich,  with  a  valuable  silver  teapot  bearing  the  following  inscription  : — 
“  Presented  to  Mr.  F.  Jordan  by  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Portland,  on 
leaving  Welbeck — September  18th,  1896.”  The  above  is  a  much-prized 
and  valuable  addition  to  the  numerous  presents  Mr.  Jordan  received  on 
leaving  Welbeck  to  take  charge  of  the  gardens  at  Impney. 
-  Isle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Association.  —  The 
monthly  meeting  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Improvement 
Association  was  held  on  Saturday  last  at  Warburton’s  Hotel,  Newport, 
when  Dr.  Groves  presided  over  a  large  attendance.  A  paper  was  read 
by  Mr.  F.  Lee,  on  “  Winter  Vegetables,”  on  bebaff  of  Mr.  W.  Tribbick* 
F.R.H.S.,  gardener  to  Sir  Chas.  Seely,  Bart.,  Brooke  House,  I  W.,  who 
through  ill  health  was  unable  to  be  present.  The  requisite  details  were 
touched  upon  in  an  interesting  and  practical  manner.  Votes  of  thanks 
were  accorded  the  esayist  aDd  reader  of  the  paper. 
-  Storm  Effects  in  the  Isle  of  Wight. — The  storm  which 
set  in  on  Tuesday,  March  2nd,  and  continued  throughout  the  night  and 
Wednesday  morning  did  much  damage  in  the  Island.  The  weather 
the  week  before  was  so  settled  and  mild  I  was  going  to  pen  a  few  lines 
on  the  eailiness  of  the  season,  but  this  was  upset  by  the  appearance  of 
March,  which  came  in  like  a  lion.  In  addition  to  the  destruction  of 
greenhouses,  slates  and  tiles  were  scattered  in  all  directions,  and  many 
people  miraculously  escaped  being  injured.  Bat  what  we  greatly 
deplore  is  the  loss  of  large  Elms  and  other  trees  in  various  parts  of  the 
island,  which  will  greatly  mar  the  picturesqueness  and  beauty  of  the 
undulated  Garden  Isle,  and  which  it  is  impossible  to  replace.  The  exact 
number  of  trees  blown  down  by  the  gale  is  not  known,  but  according  to 
reports  there  will  not  be  far  short  of  a  thousand.  —  S.  H. 
THE  UNITED  HORTICULTURAL  BENEFIT  AND 
PROVIDENT  SOCIETY. 
There  was  a  fair  attendance  of  members  at  the  annual  general 
meeting  of  this  excellent  Society,  which  was  held  at  the  Caledonian 
Hotel,  Adelphi,  on  Monday  evening  last.  Mr.  Alexander  Dean  occupied 
the  chair.  The  report  of  the  Committee  was  as  follows  : — 
“  The  Committee  have  great  pleasure  in  presenting  to  the  members 
the  annual  report  and  balance  sheet  for  the  year  ending  January  11th, 
1897.  The  Society  continues  to  prosper,  the  net  increase  of  members 
being  sixty-six.  One  benefit  member  and  one  lapsed  member  died  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year,  the  amount  standing  to  their  credit  being 
paid  to  the  widow  in  each  case.  Mr.  James  George  (late  Trtistee), 
having  reached  the  age  of  seventy,  withdrew  the  amount  standing  to 
his  credit  (£82  10s.).  The  amount  of  subscriptions  paid  by  members 
to  the  Benefit  Fund,  including  arrears  of  1895.  was  £1010  Is.  lOi. 
“  The  sick  list  has  again  been  a  heavy  one,  the  sum  of  £196  15s,. 
having  been  paid  to  fifty-one  members.  The  deductions  from  members’ 
deposit  account  to  meet  this  amount  is  7s.  7d.,  and  5s.  in  the  two  scales 
of  contributions  respectively.  Subscriptions  to  the  Benevolent  Fund 
from  benefit  and  honorary  members  amount  to  £134  10s.  6d.  Small 
sums,  amounting  to  £12  3s.  61.,  have  been  grau ted  to  four  members 
from  this  Fund.  The  Convalescent  Fund  is  steadily  increasing,  the 
amount  received  being  £18  12s.,  including  £3  3s.  from  W.  J. 
Nutting,  Esq.,  and  £5  from  N.  N.  Sherwood,  E‘q.,  at  the  annual 
dinner.  Three  members  were  benefited  from  this  Fund  to  the  extent 
of  £3  10s.  The  Management  Fund  shows  a  balance  of  £44  14s.  7d. 
The  Treasurer  has  again  invested  £1100  during  the  year  in  Corporation 
(3  per  cent.)  Stock,  and  has  a  fair  balance  in  hand. 
“  The  annual  dinner  was  held  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant  under  the 
presidency  of  W.  J.  Nutting,  Esq.,  who  fulfilled  his  office  in  an  admir¬ 
able  manner,  and  kindly  paid  for  the  music  The  accounts  have  again 
been  carefully  audited  by  Messrs.  \V.  Gunner  and  Geo.  Dixon,  and 
found  correct.  The  Committee  specially  invite  all  young  gardeners  and 
seedsmen  to  join  this  excellent  Society,  feeling  sure  they  cannot  do 
better  than  join  the  good  ship  ‘United.’ 
“The  financial  aspect  of  the  Society  is  good,  and  speaks  well  for  the 
excellent  manner  in  which  its  business  is  conducted.  This  is  one  of  the 
best  societies  that  young  gardeners  can  join,  as  it  confers  benefits 
decidedly  superior  to  any  of  those  given  by  societies  outside  the  craft.” 
We  heartily  endorse  the  last  sentence  in  the  report  of  the  Committee. 
The  customary  votes  of  thanks  were  accorded  to  the  Chairman  and 
the  several  officers  of  the  Society. 
