February  10,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
123 
in  the  various  classes  and  about  £  1 0  paid  for  decorating  one  of  the  public 
halls,  at  the  request  of  the  Corporation  Commit  ee,  on  the  occasion  of  her 
Majesty  the  Queen’s  visit  to  Sheffield  in  May. 
The  Benevolent  Fund  for  professional  gardeners,  established  by  this 
Society,  also  shows  an  increase  in  the  balance  in  hand,  the  amount 
available  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  members  in  case  of  sickness  being 
about  £60.  The  balance  in  hand  of  the  Library  Funds,  for  the  purchase 
of  new'  works  upon  horticultural  subjects,  is  £5  Os.  6d. 
On  account  of  the  great  uncertainty  of  the  weather  when  the  Society 
holds  its  annual  show,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  make  some  provision 
for  probable  loss  in  the  income  from  that  source  should  unfavourable 
weather  be  experienced,  such  as  occurred  a  few  years  ago,  when  the 
Society  s  balance  in  hand  fell  to  9s.  After  a  little  discussion  it  was 
unanimously  decided  to  transfer  £50  to  a  reserve  fund  for  the  above 
purpose. 
The  Lord  Mayor  (Alderman  G.  Franklin)  and  the  Master  Cutler 
(Maurice  G.  Kodgers,  Esq.),  and  other  gentlemen  of  influence  were 
added  to  the  Society’s  list  of  Vice-Presidents.  The  annual  dinner  is 
fixed  for  the  16th  inst. 
IIIGHGATE  AND  DiSTKICT  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SOCIETY. 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  this  Society  was  held  on  the  2nd  inst., 
the  President,  Mr.  H.  W.  Birks,  presiding.  The  minutes  of  the  last 
annual  general  meeting  having  been  read  and  confirmed,  the  Treasurer 
(Mr.  .J.  M‘Kerchar)  read  the  financial  statement,  which  showed  receipts 
for  the  past  year  amounting  to  £165  6s.  fi-^d.,  the  expenditure  being 
£161  2s.  7|d.,  of  which  £87  2s.  had  been  awarded  in  prizes,  leaving  a 
balance  in  hand  of  £4  3s.  lid.  The  Secretary  (Mr.  W.  E.  Boyce)  read 
the  annual  report,  which,  after  relating  the  success  of  the  last  exhibition 
over  any  previously  held,  went  on  to  say  that  the  Committee  had  decided 
to  hold  the  exhibition  for  1898  at  the  Holloway  Hall,  and  they  had  every 
reason  to  believe  that  it  would  be  the  best  exhibition  every  held  in  the 
north  of  London.  The  President,  in  moving  the  adoption  of  the  balance- 
sheet  and  report,  said  he  thought  they  had  fulfilled  their  mission.  They  had 
not  contributed  perhaps  to  “  the  gaiety  of  the  nations,”  but  they  certainly 
had  contributed  to  the  gaiety  of  Highgate  in  providing  residents  with  a 
two-days  exhibition  which,  coming  as  it  did  in  the  month  of  November, 
proved  very  acceptable.  It  was  acknowledged  on  all  hands,  even  by  the 
Judges,  whom  he  knew  as  critical  men,  that  the  exhibition  was  entitled 
to  all  the  praise  bestowed  upon  it.  There  was  also  another  test  to  which 
many  societies  could  not  submit — that  of  finance,  and  they  had  to  congra¬ 
tulate  themselves  that,  judged  by  that  test,  they  came  out  well.  Votes  of 
thanks  were  passed  to  the  retiring  President  and  officers,  also  to  the  Vice- 
Presidents  and  special  prize  donors. 
Mr.  Bilks  then  introduced  Mr.  C.  F.  Cory-Wright  as  the  President  for 
the  ensuing  year.  »  Mr.  Cory-Wright  said  that  he  did  not  wish  to  begin 
his  presidency  by  finding  fault,  but  he  thought  they  had  made  a  mistake 
in  letting  their  late  President  go.  Mr.  Birks  had  made  it  very  difficult  for 
anyone  to  follow  him,  but  at  the  same  time  he  would  endeavour  to  promote 
the  interests  of  the  Society  as  far  as  possible,  and  hoped  at  the  end  of  the 
year  they  would  be  in  no  worse  position.  The  election  of  officers  then 
took  place,  Mr.  MTterchar  and  Mr.  W.  E.  Boyce  being  ro-elected 
Treasurer  and  Secretary  respectively.  Mr.  Boyce  stated  that  the  schedule 
was  well  in  hand,  and,  in  fact,  ready  for  the  Committee  to  finally  settle. 
The  schedule  would  be  larger  than  the  last,  and  there  was  every  prospect 
of  a  very  successful  year,  the  new  President  giving  special  prizes  to  the 
amount  of  nearly  £12,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Cory-Wright  £2  2s.,  and,  in  addition, 
he  (the  Secretary)  had  obtained  new  special  prizes  .to  the  amount  of  £15. 
WASTEFUL  USE  OF  ARTIFICIAL  MANURES. 
Need  I  say  I  was  surprised  and  astonished  to  read  the  remarks  on 
artificial  manures  by  Mr.  “A.  D.”  on  page  81?  It  is  past  my  compre¬ 
hension  how  a  well-known  critic  like  your  correspondent  could  have 
fallen  in  such  errors  over  such  a  trifling  subject.  I  think  I  see  him 
holding  up  his  hands  in  horror  at  the  wasteful  way  in  which  I  used  those 
manures  ;  but  let  us  have  fact  to  fact,  and  then  see  how  he  stands. 
Mr.  “  A.  D.”  tells  us  that  the  2  lbs.  of  basic  slag  and  1 2  ozs.  of 
kainit  per  square  yard  is  “  82  lbs.  per  rod  and  just  about  6  tons  per  acre,” 
and  goes  on  to  assume  that  as  my  “  plants  and  fruit  ”...  were  not  “one 
whit  better  than  Tomato  growers  ordinarily  obtain  on  ordinary  soil,  the 
manures  mentioned  were  either  practically  worthless  or  not  utilised  by 
the  crop,”  and  positively  adds  that  the  above  quantity  ought  to  be  enough 
for  a  dozen  dressings  at  least. 
I  think  I  stated  very  clearly  that  the  2  lbs.  of  basic  slag  and  12  ozs.  of 
kainit  were  applied,  not  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  plants — for  that  was  a 
consideration  of  secondary  importance — but  to  kill  root  eelworm,  which 
I  knew  was  present  in  my  soil.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
above  dose  has  killed  the  eelworm,  consequently  it  has  accomplished  the 
work  for  which  it  was  applied  ;  but  Mr.  “A.  D.”  says  the  above  quantity 
was  sufficient  for  a  dozen  dressings.  He  evidently  knows  by  this  that  if 
I  had  used  1  oz.  of  kainit  and  2^  ozs.  of  basic  slag  per  S(iuare  yard  it 
would  have  killed  the  eelworm  quite  as  well  as  the  quantity  I  used.  Mr. 
Iggulden  tell  us  on  page  76  that  “  he  forks  into  his  Tomato  borders  4  ozs. 
of  kainit,  8  ozs.  of  basic  slag,  and  8  ozs.  of  soot  but  evidently  this 
quantity  is  not  enough  to  destroy  the  eelworm,  or  why  does  he  use  the 
phenyle  afterwards  ?  Can  Mr.  “  A.  D.”  make  his  assertion  agree  with 
actual  facts  ?  I  think  not  ;  and  I  might  add  that  he,  like  the  rest  of  us, 
has  still  a  great  deal  to  learn  about  the  use  of  artificial  manures.  Mr. 
“A.  I).”  knows  as  well  as  I  do  that  the  manures  I  used  are  retained  by 
the  soil — !>.,  they  cannot  be  washed  away.  This  being  the  case,  the 
eelworm  are  dead  and  there  is  sufficient  manure  left  for  another  crop  of 
Tomatoes  and  ten  crops  of  Grapes  ;  so  your  correspondent  must  admit 
that  there  is  no  waste,  but  that  there  v  as  a  method  in  my  madness. 
Many  Tomato  growers  actually  loi  j  75  per  cent,  of  their  crop  owing 
to  bad  attacks  of  eelworm.  I  do  not  claim  to  have  obtained  more  fruit 
than  growers  “ordinarily  obtain  on  ordinary  soil,”  but  that  I  had  a  full 
instead  of  a  quarter  crop  is  a  satisfaction  to  myself,  and  makes  me  again 
ask,  Where  was  the  waste?  As  for  the  msnures  I  used  poisoning  the 
borders,  that  is  like  begging  the  f[uestion,  for  I  can  safely  say  that  the 
quantity  I  used  would  not  do  so  ;  and  to  show  how  absurd  it  is  to  suppose 
they  would,  I  would  ask.  How  was  it  possible  for  me  to  grow  a  good  crop 
of  Tomatoes  in  the  borders  if  they  were  poisoned  ? 
I  have  seen  “  fine  crops  of  Tomatoes  obtained  from  very  ordinary 
soil,  assisted  by  soot  and  light  sprinklings  of  artificial  manures  ;  ”  I  have 
seen  heavier  crops  grown  in  better  soil  when  the  sprinklings  have  been 
given  every  day  ;  and  what  is  more,  I  have  grown  Tomatoes  in  ten  parts 
of  pure  clay,  eighty-eight  parts  of  silver  sand,  and  two  parts  of  powdered 
chalk  fed  with  artificial  manures  quite  as  successfully  as  others  in  three 
parts  of  turfy  loam  and  one  part  of  decayed  manure.  I  presume  Mr. 
“  A.  D.”  has  carried  out  a  few  experiments  with  artificial  manures.  Can 
you  ask  him  to  let  them  be  publi.shed  in  “our  Journal,”  and  perhaps 
they  will  obtain  for  him  the  thanks  of  others  besides — W.  Dyke. 
THE  NOTTINGHAMSHIRE  HORTICULTURAL 
AND  BOTANICAL  SOCIETY. 
On  the  27th  ult.  the  officers,  members,  and  friends  of  the  above  Society 
partook  of  their  annual  dinner  together  at  the  Spread  Eagle  Hotel,  Gold¬ 
smith  Street,  Nottingham,  their  host  being  Mr.  Councillor  Charles  Smith, 
the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  the  Society.  The  report  read  by  the* 
Secretary  (Mr.  J.  M.  Stewart)  was  pleasant  hearing,  because  it  gave  a 
cheery  account  of  a  state  of  things  which  does  the  officers  much  credit. 
The  Society  does  its  work  in  a  very  quiet  and  unostentatious  manner,  and 
deserves  more  support  than  it  gets  from  the  county  gentry.  The  town 
does  its  fair  share  in  supporting  the  Society  from  the  members  of  Parlia¬ 
ment,  the  Mayor  and  Sheriff,  and  many  of  the  members  of  the  municipality, 
through  all  grades,  including  a  good  proportion  of  the  large  number  of 
working  men  gardeners  who  are  so  numerous  in  Nottingham. 
Among  other  features  are  periodical  visits  made  to  notable  places, 
partly  for  holiday  amusement,  but  more  particularly  for  the  educational 
advantages  which  visits  to  great  gardens  give  to  those  who  have  observant 
eyes  and  open  minds.  Rufford  Abbey  and  grounds,  by  kind  permission 
of  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Saville,  were  visited  on  July  1st.  Mr.  J.  Doe, 
the  head  gardener,  did  all  in  his  power  to  make  the  visit  interesting,  and 
the  Abbey  with  its  rich  store  of  art  treasures  was  thoroughly  enjoyed,  as 
well  as  were  the  well  managed  gardens  and  grounds.  Sandringham 
Gardens,  by  kind  permission  of  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  were  visited 
on  Wednesday,  July  28th.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr._  McKeller  the 
plant  and  fruit  houses  were  thrown  open  for  inspection,  and  every 
possible  arrangement  was  made  for  the  visitors  to  make  a  thorough 
inspection  of  the  beautiful  gardens  and  grounds. 
The  Society  does  not  lay  itself  out  for  large  shows,  experience  having 
taught  the  officers  that  Nottingham  people  having  such  splendid  displays 
of  both  flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables  every  week  in  the  market,  such  as 
few  towns  possess,  do  not  care  for  much  more.  One  summer  show  is, 
however,  provided  ;  that  of  last  year  was  held  in  the  grounds  of  the 
Arboretum  on  .luly  14th  and  15th,  and  was,  without  doubt,  the  finest  the 
Society  has  held  for  a  number  of  years.  Through  the  kindness  of  the 
Corporation  of  Nottingham  the  Arboretum  will  be  available  again  this 
year,  and  it  is  hoped  and  believed  in  future  years. 
Other  shows  are  made  more  educational.  For  instance,  a  fruit 
meeting  was  held  October  28th  in  the  Mechanics’  Lecture  Hall,  when 
over  300  dishes  were  staged.  At  the  same  meeting  a  paper  was  read  by 
Mr.  Hy.  Merryweather,  jun.,  on  “  Hardy  Fruit  Culture.”  This  paper 
was  a  most  able  one.  A  Chrysanthemum  meeting  was  held  on  Wednesday, 
November  17th,  in  the  Mechanics’  Lecture  Hall.  The  numerous  and 
representative  exhibits  sent  in  by  the  members  raised  the  meeting  to  the 
rank  of  an  exhibition.  Able  anti  practical  papers  were  read  by  Mr.  R.  J. 
Walters,  on  “  Growing  for  Exhibition  ;  ”  Mr.  E.  Palmer,  on  “  Growing 
for  Decoration  ;  ”  Mr.  N.  German,  on  “  Growing  for  Market;”  and  Mr, 
S.  Thacker,  on  “  The  Staging  of  the  Chrysanthemum.  ’  These  papers 
proved  of  great  value  to  all  interested  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
Chrysanthemum. 
The  Society’s  gold  medal  has  been  awarded  to  Mr,  ,1.  H.  Goodacre, 
The  Gardens,  Elvaston  Castle,  for  a  superb  group  of  Malmaison  Carna¬ 
tions  exhibited  at  the  Arboretum  Show.  Certificates  of  merit  have  been 
awarded  to  Messrs.  Armitage  Bros.,  Limited,  for  a  collection  of  Peas 
exhibited  at  the  Arboretum  Show ;  Mrs.  Theresa  Rothera,  for  a  table 
decoration  of  outdoor  grown  fruit,  flowers,  and  wild  Grasses  ;  ^Ir.  C.  .1. 
Mee,  for  six  bunches  Gros  Colraan  Grapes  exhibited  at  the  fruit 
meeting;  ^fr.  E.  Wadsworth,  for  a  collection  of  I.eeks  and  Carrots; 
Mr.  E.  Palmer,  for  a  collection  of  double  Primula  plants ;  and  Mr.  E.  H. 
Ecclestonj  for  twelve  Chrysanthemum  blooms  of  Japanese  Chrys¬ 
anthemums. 
The  Treasurer  of  the  Society  was  able  to  announce  that  a  very 
substantial  balance  on  the  right  side  of  the  ledger  would  appear  in  the 
annual  balance-sheet.  Since  the  report  was  printed  another  meeting  has 
been  held,  when  !Mr,  H.  Weeks  of  The  Gardens,  Thrumpton  Hall,  the 
raiser  of  so  many  good  Chrysanthemums,  read  a  most  excellent  and 
practical  paper  on  the  subject  he  knows  so  well,  “The  Chrysanthemum. 
