338 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  22,  1897. 
“Journal  of  Horticulture  ”  Editorial  Department. — 
From  the  present  date,  and  until  further  notice,  it  is  particularly 
requested  that  all  letters  and  parcels  intended  for  the  Editor,  also  all 
communications  for  insertion  in  the  “Journal  of  Horticulture,” 
he  addressed  to  8,  Rose  Hill  Road,  Wandsworth,  London,  S.  W. 
N.B. — Business  letters  and  advertisements  must  he  addressed  to  the 
City  Office. 
-  Weather  in  London. — Holiday  makers  have  had  to  put  up 
with  some  adverse  weather  this  Easter,  as  they  have  had  to  do  before 
and  possibly  will|have  to  do  again.  There  were  glimpses  of  sunshine  on 
Thursday,  but  Good  Friday  was  a  thoroughly  wet  day,  while  Saturday 
was  very  little  better.  Easter  Sunday  was  a  glorious  day,  and  the  hopes 
of  the  trippers  rose  proportionately,  and  were  maintained  until  Monday 
evening  when  rain  again  fell.  Tuesday  was  fine,  and  Wednesday  damp. 
-  Weather  in  the  North, — The  past  week  has  embraced 
samples  of  all  sorts  of  weather.  A  great  deal  of  rain  has  fallen,  and  on 
the  14th  heavy  showers  of  snow  and  hail,  with  several  loud  thunder¬ 
peals,  occurred.  The  hills  all  round  were  again  covered  with  snow. 
The  evening  of  Monday  was  very  wet ;  Tuesday  morning  was  bright  and 
mild. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
-  Newcastle-on-Tyne  Summer  Flower  Show. — We  have 
received  a  copy  of  the  schedule  of  prizes  to  be  offered  for  competition 
at  the  Newcastle  Flower  Show  on  Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday,  8th, 
'9th,  and  10th  July,  in  the  recreation  ground.  Since  last  year  the 
schedule  has  been  increased  in  several  instances.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  principal  prizes  : — Roses,  £75  ;  table  decorations,  £28  ; 
Pansies,  £14  ;  herbaceous  flowers,  £13.  The  Committee  has  arranged 
to  re-strike  the  medal  of  the  Society,  and  gold,  silver,  and  broEze 
medals  are  included  in  this  year’s  schedule.  Copies  of  the  schedule 
may  be  had  on  application  to  the  Secretary. 
-  Longford  House,  Isle  of  Wight.  —  This,  the  private 
residence  of  Mrs.  Rylands,  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  village  of 
Haven  Street,  and  has  a  pleasant  and  extensive  inland  view.  The 
gardens  adjoining  are  under  the  capable  management  of  Mr.  J.  Bark- 
ham,  F.R.H.S.  During  a  flying  visit  the  other  day  I  noticed  a  fine 
house  of  Cucumber  plants,  which  were  very  prolific,  producing  from 
three  to  five  fruits  at  a  joint.  The  variety  he  informed  me  was  a  cross 
between  Rochford’s  Seedling  and  Sutton’s  Improved  Telegraph. 
Tomatoes  in  pots  were  bearing  a  good  crop  of  well  shaped,  highly 
coloured,  and  excellently  flavoured  fruits.  To  tourists  interested  in 
gardening  a  visit  to  Longford  House  would  amply  repay  them,  and 
they  would  have  a  hearty  welcome  from  Mrs,  Rylands’  able  gardener. 
— S.  H. 
-  Dobbie’s  Dahlia  Book.— This  free  rendering  of  the  title  of 
the  first  of  Mr:  William  Cuthbertson’s  horticultural  handbooks  slides 
smoothly  from  the  pen,  as  it  will  not  improbably  fall  trippingly  from 
the  tongue  when  copies  are  being  ordered  by  the  “  trade  ”  for  distribution 
among  florists.  It  will  be  proper,  however,  to  give  the  full  title — “  The 
Dahlia  :  Its  History  and  Cultivation”  (edited  by  Mr.  W.  Cuthbertson  and 
published  by  Messrs.  Macmillan  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  London,  and  Messrs. 
Dobbie  &Co.,  Rothesay).  The  editor  has  written  the  preface,  and  pithily 
observes,  “The  florist  differs  from  the  botanist  in  his  relation  to  plants. 
The  plant  as  it  is  is  the  province  of  the  botanist.  The  plant  as  it  can  be 
developed  is  the  province  of  the  florist.”  In  this  handbook,  then,  may 
be  found  the  development  of  the  Dahlia.  Mr.  Richard  Dean  records  its 
history,  Mr.  John  Ballantine  treats  it  botanically,  chapters  on  propaga¬ 
tion  and  exhibiting  have  been  entrusted  to  Mr.  Stephen  Jones,  and  on 
cultivation  to  Mr.  Robert  Fife,  while  the  editor  has  compiled  the  most 
complete  catalogue  in  existence  of  varieties  now  cultivated  by  large 
growers,  and  from  which  excellent  selections  are  given.  Mr.  Cuth¬ 
bertson  also  writes  hopefully  of  the  future  of  the  Dahlia,  describing  it  as 
“  without  doubt  the  most  perfect  of  Flora’s  creations  from  a  true 
florist’s  point  of  view.”  This  handbook  contains  eighty  pages  of 
interesting,  useful,  well  printed  matter  ;  also  attractive  illustrations,  and 
will  be  acceptable  to  the  Dahlia  growing  community. 
- Gardening  Appointment.— Mr.  J.  T.  Stoney,for  the  past  two 
years  foreman  at  Powis  Castle,  Welshpool,  has  been  appointed  gardener 
to  H.  B.  Gilmour,  Esq.,  Underlea,  Aigburth. 
-  Certificated  Narcissi. — The  Rev.  G.  H.  Engleheart  was 
awarded  first-class  certificates  for  both  Narcissus  Beacon  and  Narcissus 
Snowdrop,  not  awards  of  merit,  as  stated  in  our  last  issue. 
-  The  Royal  Horticultural  Society. — The  next  Fruit  and 
Floral  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday f 
April  27th,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster,  1  to  5  P.M. 
A  lecture  will  be  given  at  three  o’clock  by  Mr.  A.  Dean  on  “  Winter 
and  Spring  Bedding.” 
-  The  Apple  Blossom  Weevil. — This  and  other  beetles 
injurious  to  the  Apple  are  concisely  treated  in  pamphlet  form  (Headley 
Brothers,  Ashford)  by  Mr.  Fred.  V.  Theobald,  M.A.,  F.G.S.,  of  the 
South-Eastern  Agricultural  College,  Wye.  It  is  in  large  part  descrip¬ 
tive  of  the  habits  of  the  enemy,  which  punctures  and  ruins  the 
blossoms  ;  but  suggested  preventives  as  remedies  are  given,  including 
kerosene  emulsion,  made  as  follows  : — “  Dissolve  2  lbs.  of  softsoap  in 
I  gallon  of  boiling  water,  then  add  to  the  dissolved  soap  2  gallons  of 
kerosene  oil  ;  churn  the  two  well  together  until  a  complete  creamy 
emulsion  is  produced.  One  part  of  this  emulsion  can  be  mixed  with  from 
forty  to  fifty  parts  of  water.  The  concentrated  emulsion  will  keep  for 
some  time.” 
-  A  New  Insecticide — Arsenate  of  Lead. — Mr.  Theobald 
received  this  from  the  Report  of  a  meeting  of  Australian  fruit  growers, 
and  observes  : — “  This  poisonous  substance,  used  for  spraying,  Beems  to 
have  many  advantages  over  Paris  green  and  other  arsenites.  As  it  is  a 
more  powerful  insecticide  than  the  other  arsenites,  it  may  have  the 
effect  of  killing  the  adult  weevils  treated  of  here.  It  certainly  kills  an 
equally  hardy  weevil — the  Corn  Weevil  (C.  granaria),  although  it 
could  not  be  employed  for  that  purpose.  Its  great  advantage  is,  that  if 
properly  proportioned  it  will  not  damage  the  leafage  at  all,  however 
concentrated  it  is  used.  It  is  mixed  in  the  following  way  : — Take 
II  ozs.  of  acetate  of  lead  and  dissolve  in  1  gallon  of  water,  and  4  ozs.  of 
arsenate  of  soda  dissolved  in  the  same  quantity  of  water ;  then  mix 
these  two  together,  and  pour  into  100  to  150  gallons  of  water  for  use. 
The  cost  of  this  insecticide  comes  to  about  4d.  100  gallons.  It  is- 
successful  in  regard  to  leaf  and  bud-eating  larvm,  and  is  well  worthy  of 
a  trial  by  all  fruit  growers.” 
-  Earwigs  Flying. — Referring  to  the  circumstance  of  the 
female  beetles  (Anthonomus  pomorum)  having  strong  wings,  but 
seldom  using  them,  Mr.  Theobald  points  out  that  the  common  earwig 
(Forficula  auricularia)  has  most  ample  wings,  but  so  rarely  uses  them 
that  he  thinks  the  only  instance  of  this  having  been  observed  is  a 
record  of  his  own  in  the  Entomological  Journal  in  1896.  If  he  had 
worked  for  many  years  in  Dahlia  plantations  he  might  have  seen  dozens 
and  felt  them,  too,  if  they  had  butted  his  eye.  We  have  from  time  to 
time  seen  scores  of  earwigs  use  their  wings  years  before  the  Entomolo¬ 
gist’s  discovery,  and  so  must  have  many  gardeners. 
-  The  Weather  and  Fruit  Prospects. — The  weather  of  late 
has  been  of  a  very  cold  and  winterly  character.  The  month  was  ushered 
in  by  a  cold  easterly  wind,  accompanied  by  driving  snowstorms,  the 
ground  being  partially  covered  in  the  early  morning,  followed  by  more 
or  less  of  frost  on  most  nights.  On  the  7th  inst.  there  was  a  very 
winterly  morning  with  a  N.E.  wind.  Snow  fell  thick  and  fast  for 
upwards  of  two  hours,  covering  the  ground  nearly  2  inches  deep,  but 
it  soon  melted.  On  the  11th  (Palm  Sunday)  11°  of  frost  were  registered. 
On  the  16th  (Good  Friday)  the  weather  was  of  a  very  boisterous 
character  from  3  to  4  p.m.  ;  a  heavy  thunderstorm  broke  over  this 
neighbourhood,  the  lightning  waB  very  vivid  with  heavy  peals  of 
thunder,  followed  by  a  downpour  of  rain  and  hailstones,  which 
continued  for  about  half  an  hour,  the  ground  being  quite  white  for  a 
time.  This  produced  0  65  of  water.  It  is  twenty-oue  years  since  the 
memorable  Good  Friday  when  there  was  a  deep  snowstorm,  and  so 
much  damage  was  done  in  this  neighbourhood  to  many  fine  Cedars  of 
Lebanon  and  other  trees.  Grave  doubts  are  entertained  as  to  the  safety 
of  the  early  fruit  blossoms.  It  is  feared  that  Gooseberries  and  Currants 
have  suffered  by  the  late  frosts  ;  the  foliage  has  a  pale  and  sickly 
appearance.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  on  unprotected  walls  seem  to  have 
set  fairly  well,  but  Apricots  are  a  failure.  Plum  and  Cherry  blossom  is 
abundant,  also  early  Pears,  but  a  good  deal  cut  by  hailstones.  The 
Apple  blossom,  still  in  embryo,  we  hope  is  safe,  but  the  budding  foliage 
has  a  sickly  and  bleached  appearance. —G.  R.  Allis,  Old  Warden  Park,. 
Beds. 
