September  19, 1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
273 
WE4THEK  IN  LONDON. — The  weather  in  the  metropolia  during  the 
past  week  has  been  remarkably  uniform.  The  nights  and  mornings 
have  been  cold,  even  approaching  frosts  on  one  or  two  occasions,  while 
the  days  have  been  bright  and  pleasantly  warm. 
-  Fruit  Essay  Competition. — In  consequence  of  the  excel¬ 
lence  and  equality  in  meric  of  two  of  the  essays  on  the  “  Commercial 
Aspects  of  Hardy  Fruit  Growing  in  the  United  Kingdom,”  the  Council 
of  the  Koyal  Horticultural  Society  increased  the  prize  money  originally 
offered,  and  Mr.  L.  Castle,  Manager  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford’s  experi¬ 
mental  fruit  farm  at  Eidgmont,  with  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright,  Glewston  Court 
Gardens,  Ross,  have  had  the  honour  of  being  awarded  equal  first  prizes- 
One  of  these  essays  will  be  read  at  the  Crystal  Palace  Fruit  Show,  and 
both  will  presumably  be  published  as  soon  afterwards  as  possible.  The 
adjudicators  were  Mr.  A  F.  Barron,  Mr.  J.  Wright,  and  Rev.  W.  Wilks. 
-  Potato  Blight  in  Ireland. — The  Potato  blight  is  becoming 
very  general  all  over  Ireland,  but  as  yet  the  tubers  have  been  only 
little  affected.  Potatoes  are,  however,  not  at  all  up  to  the  mark,  being 
as  a  rule  very  wet  and  sodden.  The  dry  time  in  the  early  part  of  the 
year,  and  the  very  wet  weather  later  on,  encouraged  a  second  growth  of 
small  Potatoes,  which  are  a  great  means  of  causing  this  inferiority  in 
the  main  crop. 
-  Dr.  W.  a.  Setchell. — We  learn  that  Mr.  W.  A.  Setchell, 
who  is  now  Assistant  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School,  has  been  selected  to  fill  the  chair  of  Botany  in  the  University 
of  California,  which  was  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Professor 
Greene.  The  people  of  California  are  to  be  congratulated  on  securing 
the  services  of  a  man  who,  while  yet  in  early  life,  has  won  such  an 
enviable  position  among  the  biologists  of  the  country.  Professor 
Setchell  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Botanical  Society  of  America 
last  week. 
- A  Manure  Heap  Burnt. — Considerable  excitement  was  caused 
at  South  Ealing  on  Sunday  afternoon,  the  1st  inst.,  by  the  sudden  breaking 
out  of  fire  in  a  large  heap  of  manure  of  about  seventy  loads  in  the 
market  grounds  of  Mr.  Robins  in  Gunnersbury  Lane.  The  Hounslow 
branch  of  the  District  Railway  runs  through  the  grounds,  the  railway 
being  crossed  by  an  archway.  It  was  on  this  arch,  but  at  a  distance  of 
2G  yards  from  the  railway,  that  the  heap,  consisting  of  ordinary  stable 
dung  carted  from  Loudon,  had  been  placed,  and  it  is  believed  the  fire 
originated  from  spontaneous  combustion.  The  heap  was  about  seven 
yards  in  length,  four  yards  high,  and  correspondingly  broad,  and  when 
the  fire  was  at  its  fiercest  the  heat  was  intense.  Eventually  the  fire- 
engines  were  brought  to  play  upon  it,  and  the  flames  were  subdued, 
though  by  the  frequent  breakings  into  flame,  there  was  no  doubt  a  large 
body  of  fire  within,  and  water  was  poured  on  to  it  throughout  Sunday 
night.  It  is  understood  Mr.  Robins’  loss  is  covered  by  insurance. 
- The  Royal  Horticultural  Society.— Mr.  A.  H.  Smee 
informs  ns  that  he  has  given  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  President  of  the 
Society,  notice  of  the  following  questions  which  he  (Mr.  Smee)  proposes 
te  ask  at  the  next  annual  meeting  of  Fellows,  or  at  such  early  period  as 
the  Council  may  think  it  desirable  to  call  the  Fellows  together  for  the 
special  purpose  of  taking  them  into  their  confidence.  He  will  require 
^'the  production  of  the  minutes  of  the  Council  which  appointed  this 
special  Committee  to  report  upon  Chiswick,  the  date  of  its  appoint¬ 
ment,  the  names  of  the  Committee,  the  reference  and  scope  of  its 
inquiry,  the  report  it  made,  and  all  the  correspondence  emanating  from 
the  Secretary  or  other  officer  relating  thereto,  a  statement  of  the 
.proposed  changes  in  the  management  of  its  Chiswick  garden,  the 
.production  of  the  minute  book  of  the  Garden  Committee,  and  also 
■the  minutes  of  all  the  Committees  (Fruit  and  Floral)  which  visit 
Chiswick  for  the  purpose  of  the  seed  trials.”  Mr.  Smee  is  of  opinion 
'that  something  like  a  vote  of  censure  has  been  passed  on  these  Com¬ 
mittees  by  the  Council  adopting  the  report  of  the  special  Committee ; 
but  if  this  is  so  the  members  of  the  “  special  ”  have  censured  them¬ 
selves,  because,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  gather,  they  were,  with 
one  exception,  chosen  from  the  Fruit,  Floral,  and  Orchid  Committees, 
well  as  the  Chiswick  Garden  Board  of  Directors. 
-  Gardening  Appointment.  —  Mr.  Edward  Gristwood,  late 
general  foreman  at  Stoughton  Grange,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener 
to  J.  L.  Ward,  Esq.,  Belgrave  House,  Leicester. 
-  The  Potato  crop  of  1895  occupies  an  area  of  541.217  acres,  as 
compared  with  504,454  acres  last  year,  or  an  increase  of  36,763  acres, 
equivalent  to  about  7  per  cent,  of  the  total  acreage. 
-  Australian  Flowers.— The  Orient  s.8.“  Ophir”  has  brought 
from  Sydney  a  bouquet  of  Australian  Lfiies  enclosed  within  a  block  of 
ice.  They  have  been  sent  to  the  Agent-General  for  New  South  Wales, 
with  the  request  that  he  will  ask  Her  Majesty’s  gracious  acceptance  of 
them. 
-  The  Effect  of  Nicotine  on  Grapes  — A  paragraph  has 
been  sent  to  us  from  a  medical  journal,  in  which  cases  of  injury  are  re¬ 
corded  as  having  resulted  from  eating  Grapes  from  a  vinery  in  which 
nicotine  has  been  used  for  destroying  insects.  It  would  be  well  if 
gardeners  who  have  used  nicotine  in  vineries  would  state  their  experi¬ 
ence  on  the  subject.  Some  persons  enjoy  getting  up  a  scare. 
-  The  Society  of  American  florists  has  just  held  its 
annual  meeting  at  Pittsburg  wit’n  great  success.  We  have  nothing  like 
this  great  Society  in  this  country,  although  such  an  one  might  be 
inaugurated  without  much  difficulty.  Next  year  the  meeting  is  to  be 
held  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  under  the  presidency  of  William  Scott,  a 
florist  in  Buffalo.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  son  of  Alexander  Scott,  gardener  to 
Sir  George  Staunton,  at  Leigh  Park. 
-  Carnation  Duchess  of  Portland. — A  few  blooms  of  this 
variety  have  been  forwarded  to  us  by  Mr.  J.  Lambs,  Burton  Joyce, 
Notts.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  very  robust,  and  the  constitution  is  of 
the  best.  The  colour  is  white  with  profuse  markings  of  bright  rose,  the 
utility  being  greatly  enhanced  by  the  indication  of  a  Clove  scent, 
though  this  was  detracted  from  on  account  of  the  blooms  having  been 
packed  in  moss.  The  flowers  are  very  shapely  and  produced  in  the 
greatest  freedom. 
-  Shirley  Gardeners’  and  Amateurs’  Association. — The 
monthly  meeting  of  above  Society  was  held  at  the  Parish  Room,  Shirley, 
Southampton,  on  the  16th  inst.,  the  President,  Mr.  W.  F.  G.  Spranger, 
presiding  over  a  good  attendance.  Mr.  E.  J.  Wilcox,  gardener  to 
Col.  W.  S.  Sinkins,  Aldermoor  House,  gave  a  paper  on  ”  The  Cultiva¬ 
tion  of  the  Fuchsia,”  which  was  most  interesting  and  instructive, 
commencing,  as  it  did,  with  the  cutting,  and  ending  with  a  plant 
finished  for  the  exhibition  tent.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded 
the  essayist  for  his  excellent  paper. 
-  Ware  Horticultural  Society. — Through  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanbury,  the  members  of  the  Ware  Horticultural 
Mutual  Improvement  Society  spent  an  enjoyable  afternoon  in  inspect¬ 
ing  the  gardens  of  Poles.  Upwards  of  100  members  were  present, 
and  after  going  through  the  grounds  all  were  regaled  to  a  substantial 
tea  spread  on  the  lawn,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanbury,  family,  and  friends 
being  present.  Mr.  Hanbury  is  President  of  the  Society,  and  takes 
great  interest  in  its  welfare.  Everything  reflects  the  greatest  credit 
on  the  gardener,  Mr.  Wallace,  for  having  his  charge  in  such  a  well 
stocked  condition. — E .  W. 
-  “J.  R.  S.  C.”  writes: — “Some  of  your  correspondents  have 
referred  to  the  fact  that  in  their  experience  bees  have  been  extra 
irritable  this  year — the  reason  doubtful.  I  might  say  that  with  regard 
to  wasps  hereabout  many  persons  have  noticed  that  though  they  have 
been  tolerably  numerous,  the  instances  of  stings  being  inflicted  have 
been  few.  But  I  have  long  maintained  that  wasps  have  had  a  worse 
character  given  them  than  they  deserve.  One  curious  fact  was  reported 
to  me  where  in  a  cemetery  adjacent  several  colonies  have  formed  their 
nests  under  flat  tombstones.  These  could  not  be  dealt  with  by  the 
usual  methods,  but  the  wasps  were  destroyed  by  pouring  in  hot  tar.” 
-  Vegetable  Show  at  Brighton.— The  annual  exhibition  of 
vegetables  and  flowers  grown  from  seeds  purchased  of  Messrs.  Tilley 
Bros,  of  Brighton  was  held  at  the  rear  of  their  London  Road  shop 
yesterday,  and  was  attended  by  a  large  number  of  visitors  during  the 
afternoon  and  evening.  The  entries  numbered  about  200,  or  nearly 
three  times  as  many  as  there  were  last  year,  while  the  quality  of  the 
exhibits  was  creditable  alike  to  the  exhibitors  and  to  the  firm  of  whom 
the  seeds  had  been  purchased.  One  of  the  best  filled  classes  perhaps 
was  that  for  Potatoes,  Zenith  being  especially  noticeable  for  size  and 
general  good  quality  ;  but  Turnips,  Onions,  and  C.suliflowers  also  made 
a  good  show. 
