October  10,  1895. 
JOURN'AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
345 
-  Heckfield. — Mr.  Maxim,  who  has  been  head  gardener  at 
Heckfield  since  the  death  of  the  late  Mr.  Wildsmith,  has  been  engaged 
to  continue  in  the  same  capacity  by  the  new  owner,  Colonel  Horace 
Walpole.  It  is  hoped  the  old  glories  of  Heckfield  will  be  resuscitated  ; 
it  is  far  too  beautiful  a  place  to  be  allowed  to  relapse  into  mediocrity. 
- The  Hessle  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society. 
— The  first  meeting  of  the  session  was  held  in  the  parish  schoolroom  on 
Tuesday,  October  1st,  when  a  paper  was  read  on  “  Strawberries  and  Their 
Cultivation,”  by  Mr.  G.  Picker,  gardener  to  F.  R.  Pease,  Esq.,  Hessle- 
wood.  The  essayist  gave  a  brief  history  of  the  Strawberry  from  the  date 
of  its  introduction  into  this  country  to  the  present  time.  The  propaga¬ 
tion  from  seed  or  runners,  the  preparation  of  soils  and  composts  both 
for  outside  cultivation  and  forcing  in  pots,  with  their  treatment  from 
first  to  last,  were  admirably  given.  A  discussion  followed  the  reading 
of  this  paper,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  essayist  concluded  the  meeting. 
— F.  L.  T. 
-  Keeping  Grapes. — A  new  method  of  keeping  Grapes  and 
other  fruit  is  reported  by  Mr.  Petit,  a  French  horticulturist.  He  placed 
the  fruit  in  a  chamber  of  brick  and  cement,  with  a  wooden  door  that 
was  not  air-tight.  With  the  fruit  he  also  placed  a  bottle  of  alcohol, 
which  was  left  open  and  allowed  to  evaporate.  At  the  end  of  two 
months  Grapes  thus  kept  were  firm  and  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation, 
the  stalks  being  green  and  the  fruit  similar  to  Grapes  fresh  cut.  The 
report  gives  no  particulars  as  to  the  other  fruit  experimented  with.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  the  evaporation  of  alcohol  prevented  the  tendency 
of  most  cut  Grapes  to  mould  when  exposed  to  the  air.  The  cellar  in 
which  the  fruit  was  kept  was  a  very  damp  one.  This  of  itself  would 
prevent  the  Grapes  from  oecoming  shrivelled.  It  is  not  a  difficult 
matter  to  keep  Grapes  in  good  condition  as  long  as  two  months  after 
gathering.  To  show  that  the  new  process  has  value  the  experiment 
should  have  continued  three  or  four  months  longer. 
-  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Association. — The  annual 
meeting  of  this  Association  was  held  at  Exeter  Guildhall  on  Wednesday, 
the  Right  Worshipful  the  Mayor  (Mr.  Alderman  Alfred  S.  Perkins) 
presiding.  The  Committee,  in  its  report  on  the  session  of  1894-5 
stated  that  when  so  many  excellent  societies  in  the  city  and  neighbour¬ 
hood  are  at  present  in  a  languishing  state,  it  is  a  cause  for  much 
thankfulness  on  the  part  of  the  Committee  that  it  is  able  to  present  a 
most  favourable  report  of  the  work  of  the  Association  for  the  past  year. 
The  number  of  members  at  present  on  the  roll  is  eighty-nine,  and  the 
balance  in  hand  £29  16s.  2d.,  showing  that  numerically  and  financially 
the  Association  is  in  a  highly  satisfactory  condition.  That  the  Associa¬ 
tion  has  justified  its  creation  is  fully  admitted  by  those  qualified  to 
judge,  and  the  summary  of  the  work  done  during  the  last  session  shows 
the  wide  scope  of  the  subjects  dealt  with.  An  evening  was  set  apart 
for  short  papers  by  younger  members  of  the  Association,  and  this  proved 
to  be  a  wise  departure,  for  not  only  were  the  short  essays  themselves 
of  considerable  merit,  but  the  interest  thus  given  to  the  j  uniors  in  the 
profession  had  a  most  salutary  effect  on  the  Association  as  a  whole. 
The  Association  having  decided  to  affiliate  with  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  are  now  associated  with  that  illustrious  horticultural  body,  and 
receive  all  the  privileges  which  membership  conveys — namely,  copies  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  Society  as  published  to  its  Fellows,  a  transferable 
ticket  admitting  to  all  its  meetings  and  exhibitions,  and  the  privilege 
of  nominating  one  of  its  members  to  be  ranked  as  a  Fellow  of  the 
Society.  By  resolution  Mr.  Andrew  Hope  was  nominated  and  elected 
to  represent  the  Association.  The  Committee  wish  again  to  express 
gratitude  to  the  Right  Worshipful  the  Mayor  of  Exeter  for  his 
kindness  in  allowing  the  meetings  to  be  held  in  so  convenient  a  place 
and  so  comfortable  a  room  as  the  Council  Chamber  of  the  Guildhall, 
this  concession  tending  much  to  the  success  which  has  followed  the 
Association  since  its  formation.  The  Mayor  has,  the  Committee  is 
pleased  to  report,  renewed  the  privilege  for  the  coming  session.  To  the 
local  and  the  gardening  Press,  also,  the  best  thanks  of  the  Association 
are  due  for  their  great  assistance  and  attention  to  its  welfare  in 
publishing  lengthy  reports  of  its  proceedings  and  in  various  ways 
furthering  its  success.  Having  arranged  an  excellent  syllabus  for  the 
autumn  session,  the  Association  enters  upon  its  fifth  year  of  existence 
with  every  prospect  of  continued  success.  The  Mayor  moved  the 
adoption  of  the  report,  and  alluded  to  the  prosperous  condition  of  the 
Association.  Mr.  Veitch,  in  seconding  the  motion,  congratulated  the 
members  upon  the  wonderful  progress  of  the  Association  during  the  four 
years  of  its  existence,  and  remarked  that  one  of  its  primary  objects 
was  the  education  of  young  gardeners.  The  report  was  adopted 
unanimously. 
-  The  Natural  History  of  Plants. — This  publication  of 
Messrs.  Blackie  &  Sons,  which  we  have  noticed  on  the  occasion  of  the 
appearance  of  each  of  the  sixteen  numbers,  is  now  concluded.  The  last 
number  is  of  a  merely  complementary  character,  and  is  made  up  chiefly 
of  a  glossary  and  comprehensive  index,  which  are  admirable  in  their 
way,  and  form  a  fitting  conclusion  to  such  an  important  work. 
-  Wages  of  Kew  Employes. — On  the  recommendation  of  the 
First  Commissioner  of  Her  Majesty’s  Works  and  Public  Buildings,  the 
Treasury  has  agreed  to  the  minimum  wage  at  Kew  being  raised  to  219. 
In  addition  to  this  both  labourers  and  gardeners  receive  gratuitous 
medical  attendance  during  sickness,  sick  pay  according  to  length  of 
service,  and  extra  pay  when  employed  on  Sundays.  On  the  other  hand, 
retirement  at  sixty  is  compulsory,  and  pensions  in  the  shape  of  “  com¬ 
passionate  allowances  ”  are  abolished  by  the  Superannuation  Act,  1887, 
which  only  allows  a  gratuity  of  one  week’s  pay  for  each  year  of  service. 
— (“Kew  Bulletin.”) 
- Retirement  of  a  Well-known  Indian  Botanist. — Mr. 
M.  Lawson,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Government  Gardena  and 
Cinchona  Plantation  on  the  Nilgiris,  recently  retired  from  the  service. 
Mr.  Lawson,  who  was  formerly  Professor  of  Botany  at  Oxford,  and  in 
charge  of  the  exquisite  garden  which  stretches  along  the  bank  of  the 
Cherwell,  which  Macaulay  described  in  a  beautiful  passage,  came  out  to 
India  in  1883  at  the  instance  of  Sir  M.  E.  Grant  Duff.  Since  then  he 
has  done  wonders  for  the  gardens  at  Ooty,  and  established  and  worked, 
unaided  by  any  expert  assistance,  the  Quinine  Factory  which  now  does 
such  good  work  for  Government. — (“  Madras  Times.”) 
-  Preserving  Oranges. — A  new  method  of  preserving  Oranges 
has  been  discovered.  The  nlan  of  burying  Oranges  with  3  or  4  inches 
deep  of  soil  above  them  is  a  decided  advance  in  simplicity  on  the 
ordinary  methods  of  keeping  this  favourite  fruit.  The  inventor  of  this 
method  is  Mr.  John  Carson  of  Clutha,  Kew,  whose  reputation  as  an 
experienced  grower  of  fruits  is  a  guarantee  of  the  efficiency  of  the  new 
plan.  The  spot  chosen  for  the  experiment  was  on  the  shady  side  of  a 
tall  Pine  tree,  to  which  the  sun  had  access  only  for  a  time  after  rising. 
The  Oranges  were  buried  as  described  on  September  25th,  1894,  and 
they  were  lifted  on  Tuesday,  April  9th.  They  were  quite  ripe  and 
perfectly  sound  and  sweet  when  submitted  to  examination. — (“  Tropical 
Agriculturist.”) 
-  Messrs.  Dobbie  &  Co.’s  Onion  Show.— This  firm  held  a 
vegetable  exhibition  on  its  own  account  recently.  The  first  prize 
Onions  measured  19  inches  in  circumference,  and  four  bulbs,  weighing 
10  lbs.,  were  staged  by  Mr.  J.  Bannerman,  Basingstoke.  The  second 
and  third  prize  stands  were  not  far  behind  these  grand  specimens.  The 
climate  of  England  has  always  been  considered  better  suited  for  growing 
Onions  co  a  large  size  than  that  of  Scotland,  and  the  result  of  Messrs. 
D jbbie’s  exhibition  more  than  confirms  this  opinion.  They  propose  next 
year  to  offer  prizes  confined  to  Scotch  growers,  as  well  as  open  prizes 
similar  to  this  year’s.  The  Leeks,  which  were  all  Bobbie’s  Champion 
variety,  were  remarkable  for  their  fine  quality,  the  first  prize  ones  shown 
by  Mr.  L.  Collins,  West  Wylam,  being  models  in  every  way.  They 
measured  12  inches  long  by  6^  inches  in  circumference,  and  all  the 
four  specimens  were  practically  identical.  On  a  large  side  table  Messrs. 
Dobbie  had  on  exhibition  100  large  bunches  of  Dahlias,  Michaelmas 
Daisies,  and  other  seasonable  flowers,  which  were  much  admired  by 
the  visitors. 
_  Pink  Ernest  Ladhams. — From  various  inquiries  amongst 
my  amateur  gardening  friends  I  can  but  think  that  the  claims  of  the 
above  to  such  universal  adoption  as  it  deserves  are  not  sufficiently 
known,  and  this  is  my  excuse  for  writing.  I  first  saw  this  Pink  at  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  show  last  year,  and  in  the  autumn  ordered 
a  few  plants  from  a  nurseryman.  When  the  young  plants  arrived  they 
looked  most  miserable,  but  as  soon  as  spring  came  they  improved 
wonderfully,  and  in  due  course  bore  crops  of  charming  blossoms,  many 
of  them  as  large  as  Malmaiion  Carnations.  So  far  so  good  ;  but  when 
attending  the  Carnation  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in  July  last  I  was 
talking  to  the  salesman  at  Mr.  Ladhams’  stall  about  his  Pinks,  when  he 
said,  “  Fou  will  be  still  belter  pleased  with  them  later  on  when  they 
get  their  second  crop  of  blooms.”  I  am  afraid  that  I  took  this  statement 
with  a  large  discount,  but  after  all  he  was  right  and  I  was  wrong,  for 
at  the  present  time  (September  28th),  and  for  some  weeks  past,  the 
plants  have  been  putting  forth  a  second  full  crop  of  perfect  blooms. 
Can  as  much  be  said  for  any  other  Pink  1  If  so,  1  shall  be  delighted  to 
hear  it.— W.  A.  Masterman,  Torqvay. 
