April  28,  1098. 
’fOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
369 
-  Impkoving  Hastings. — A  winter  garden  will  probably  be  one 
of  the  attractions  at  Hastings  in  the  near  future.  It  is  proposed  to  erect 
a  handsome  building  that  will  be  capable  of  holding  four  thousand  people  ; 
the  estimated  cost  is  between  £30,000  and  £40,000. 
-  Sowing  Herbs, — A  thought  must  be  given  to  the  culture  of 
the  most  useful  herbs,  so  that  a  supply  can  be  obtained  when  any  kind  is 
ashed  for.  Those  which  may  be  grown  from  seed  sown  now  are  Thyme, 
Sage,  Marjoram,  Summer  and  AVinter  Savory,  Fennel,  Rue,  Balm, 
Wormwood,  Horehound,  and  Hyssop. — E. 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society. — The  monthly  meeting  of 
this  Society  was  held  on  Wednesday  evening,  the  20th  inst.,  at  the 
Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Mr.  F.  C.  Bayard,  L.L.M.,  President,  in 
the  chair.  Major  H.  E.  Rawson,  R.E.,  read  a  paper  on  “Anti-cyclonic 
Systems  and  their  Movements.”  The  Hon.  F.  A.  Rollo  Russell  described 
the  results  of  observations  which  he  had  made  on  haze  and  transparency 
during  1897.  He  found  that  the  greatest  clearness  occurred  with  winds 
from  the  westward,  and  the  least  clearness  with  winds  from  the  eastward. 
The  highest  mean  visibility  was  twenty-four  miles  with  west  winds,  and 
the  lowest  mean  visibility  was  10’6  miles  with  north-east  winds. 
-  Narcissi  Variations.  —  Does  the  double  white  Narcissus 
incomparabilis,  commonly  called  Orange  Phoenix,  revert  to  the  double 
yellow,  called  Butter  and  Eggs  1  There  were  beds  in  my  garden  of 
both  Sulphur  Phoenix,  Orange  Phoenix,  and  Butter  and  Eggs.  In  course 
of  transplanting  the  whole  of  what  is  now  tallied  Orange  Phoenix  turns 
out  to  be  Butter  and  Eggs,  but  the  Sulphur  Phoenix  has  retained  its 
form  and  colour.  The  old  incomparabilis  is  unstable  in  form,  the  single 
coming  sometimes  double,  and  then  reverting  again  to  single.  Orange 
Phoenix  was  probably  a  sport  from  the  double  yellow,  and  its  loss  here  is 
possibly  due  to  reversion,  and  not  to  careless  transplanting.  I  should  be 
glad  to  know  the  experience  of  others  as  to  its  constancy, — Ross-shire. 
-  Unappreciated  Felines. — At  Woolwich,  on  Saturday, 
among  the  applicants  for  magisterial  advice  was  a  person  who  stated 
that  he  had  half  an  acre  of  nursery  ground  surrounded  by  about 
twenty-five  houses.  The  place  was  literally  overrun  by  cats  that 
destroyed  everything  that  he  tried  to  grow.  His  Dahlias,  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  and  other  plants  were  torn  up  by  them  nearly  as  soon  as 
planted,  and  he  wished  to  know  what  steps  he  could  take  to  protect 
himself  from  their  ravages.  Mr.  Paul  Taylor :  I  have  no  control  over 
cats  (laughter),  and  I  cannot  suggest  any  remedy  for  your  grievances. 
The  applicant  retired,  evidently  much  disappointed  at  the  magistrate's 
inability  to  help  him. 
- Woking  Horticultural  Society. — At  the  commencement 
of  the  present  year  this  Society  decided  to  remove  the  radius  limit,  and 
admit  to  membership  anyone  who  wished  to  join  them.  The  result  so 
far  is  satisfactory.  New  life  and  energy  appear  to  have  been  infused  into 
its  members,  judging  from  the  monthly  meeting  held  on  Thursday  last. 
The  attendance  was  above  the  average,  and  great  interest  was  taken  in 
an  admirable  paper  on  “  Hardy  Flowers  ”  by  Mr.  Scaplehorn  of  Messrs. 
Geo.  Jackman  &  Sons.  The  exhibits  staged  for  special  prizes  w’ere 
numerous  and  of  excellent  quality,  the  principal  one  being  for  a  collection 
of  cut  flowers.  Mr.  Needs  gained  the  first  prize  with  a  beautiful  display 
of  Lilium  Harris!,  Narcissus,  and  Tulips  in  such  excellent  form  that  the 
Judges  awarded  the  Society’s  certificate  in  addition  to  the  prize.  Mr. 
G.  Carpenter  of  By  fleet  was  a  good  second,  a  lovely  bunch  of  Marechal 
Niel  Roses  being  admired  by  all  present.  Mr.  J.  W.  .Tones  exhibited  a 
beautiful  collection  of  Narcissus,  for  which  a  certificate  was  also  awarded. 
— Visitor. 
-  The  Deficiency  of  Rain. — A  serious  feature  in  the  weather 
has  been  the  great  lack  of  rain,  coupled  with  the  presence  of  a  very  dry 
wind  from  the  north-eastward.  In  London  the  total  fall  for  the  present 
month  has  been  less  than  half  an  inch,  or  very  little  more  than  a  third  of 
the  average  for  the  time  already  expired.  During  the  previous  six 
months  the  total  rainfall  amounted  to  only  57  per  cent,  of  the  average, 
an  unusually  small  proportion  for  so  extended  a  period.  In  two  months 
out  of  the  six  the  total  was  considerably  less  than  half  the  normal,  while 
in  one  month  (October  last)  it  did  not  exceed  one-sixth  of  the  normal. 
In  many  other  parts  of  our  southern  counties  the  weather  since  last 
summer  has  been  quite  as  dry  as  in  London,  and  in  the  rural  districts  the 
springs  are  in  most  cases  alarmingly  low.  This  month  the  western  and 
northern  districts  appear  to  have  fared  better  than  other  parts  of  the 
country.  Over  the  North  of  England  the  rainfall  has  not  been  far  short 
of  the  average,  while  at  some  places  in  the  West  it  has  been  slightly  in 
oxcess.  In  Ireland  and  some  portions  of  the  West  and  North  of 
Scotland  there  has  been  a  rather  considerable  excess. 
-  What  the  Soudan  Produces. — Here  is  an  extract  from  a 
letter  written  home  by  a  soldier  now  in  the  Soudan  that  helps  us  to 
realise  something  of  the  physical  dis2omfort8  our  men  are  called  upon  to 
endure.  It  was,  says  the  writer,  rather  a  different  place  from  what  he 
had  expected.  He  thought  the  Soudan  would  be  all  sand  and  Dervishes, 
but  he  found  that,  although  there  were  Dervishes  about,  the  ground 
seemed  to  be  made  up  of  “  one- third  sand,  one- third  flies,  and  one-third 
fleas.”  It  does  not  sound  very  pretty,  but  it  is  not  far  out.  W e  think 
the  Soudan  would  be  an  admirable  place  to  test  the  efficacy  of  insecticides. 
-  Double  Primroses  Reverting. — There  are  conditions  of 
culture  or  something  else  which  seem  apparently  to  induce  some  double 
Primroses  to  revert  to  the  normal  single  form.  Some  thirty  years  ago 
there  was  put  into  commerce  a  lovely  single  crimson  Primrose,  then 
called  auriculffiflora.  It  had  a  golden  centre,  a  thrum  eye,  and  was 
perfect  in  form.  This  was  found  in  a  garden  at  Shirley,  Southampton, 
and  its  origin  was  lost  in  oblivion.  I  regarded  it  as  a  reversion  from  the 
double  form  of  the  famous  and  beautiful  double  crimson.  Later  I  met 
with  a  small  reversion  to  single  from  the  double  lilac,  at  Feltham,  but 
just  recently  I  saw  quite  a  stock  of  single  reversions  from  that  popular 
double  at  Hackwood  Park,  where  every  flower  was  a  perfect  single,  and 
very  beautiful  too.  The  clumps  were  large,  and  had  been  growing 
beneath  some  Nut  trees  for  several  years.  I  have  advised  that  these 
clumps  be  lifted,  divided,  and  replanted  on  a  north  border,  just  to  see 
whether  higher  culture  may  produce  doubleness  or  not. — A.  D. 
-  Old  Readers  and  Writers.— I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you  for  your  information  re  Sir  Watkin  Narcissus  bulbs  on  page  314. 
May  I  say  that  you  have  very  few  older  contributors  to  “our  Journal” 
than  myself?  In  my  first  number  of  the  “  Cottage  Gardener  ”  you  have  a 
supposed  set-to  with  Miss  Penelope  Pomeroy  about  the  Journal  after 
the  duty  was  taken  off  paper.  I  allude  to  August  20th,  1861.  I 
suppose  nearly  all  of  3'our  readers  of  those  days  have  joined  the  majority, 
but  I  am  pleased  that  “  Upwards  and  Onwards  ”  is  still  able  to  wield  his 
pen.  I  have  fifteen  years  of  “our  Journal”  bound  volumes,  and  since 
1866  I  have  the  whole  of  the  numbers  packed  and  tied  in  half  yearly 
parcels.  When  I  have  occasion  to  look  into  the  back  numbers  of  the 
sixties  I  remember  the  pleasure  I  had  in  reading  the  letters  of  Messrs, 
D.  Beaton,  “  D.,  Deal,"  George  Abbey,  W.  Keane,  J.  Robson  (who  was  a 
Northumberland  man),  “  Nickerbocker,”  and  many  others.  Pou  are 
very  welcome  to  publish  this  if  you  think  well  to  do  so.  G.  C., 
pp.  George  Charlton,  jun.,  Morpeth.  [We  like  to  hear  Irom  old 
friends.  Many  readers  in  the  early  sixties  have  naturally  passed  away, 
but  we  are  glad  to  know  that  many  still  remain,  including  three  of  the 
writers  mentioned.  We  hope  our  correspondent  may  have  several  half 
yearly  parcels  to  tie,  and  that  the  junior  will  follow  the  good  example  of 
the  senior  in  cherishing  his  “  Journal.”] 
-  Bedding  Designs. — It  is  very  apparent,  from  the  pamphlet 
bearing  the  title  at  the  head  of  this  note,  that  Messrs.  H.  Cannell  and 
Sons,  Swanley,  the  publishers,  will  do  all  they  can  to  prevent  formal 
bedding  from  dying  out.  In  the  booklet  which  we  now  have  before  us 
sixtj^  designs  for  beds  are  given,  together  with  lists  of  plants  that  will  be 
found  suitable  for  each  one.  Several  would  come  within  Ahe  category  of 
carpet  bedding,  while  others  embody  suggesttons  for  the  springy  and 
summer  adornment  of  the  flower  garden.  To  those  who  wish  fresh  ideas 
for  their  bedding,  the  pamphlet,  for  which  the  firm  charges  6d.,  should 
be  of  material  assis:ance.  Relative  to  the  miking  and  planting  of  carpet 
and  other  beds,  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons  say,  “  The  main  thing  in  carry¬ 
ing  out  carpet  bedding  effectively  is  to  decide  on  tbe  design  for  next  year, 
and  prepare  coloured  drawing  and  plants  accordingly'.  When  the  time 
comes  for  planting,  dig  deeply  and  tread  down  moderately  firm  ;  take  all 
levels,  and  draw  and  stake  out  just  the  design  required.  First  make  sure 
of  the  centre,  avoiding  hollows,  and  if  the  lines  are  to  be  straight  they 
must  be  exact,  while  if  curved  they  must  not  have  straight  parts,  neither 
must  there  be  any  sudden  or  sharp  bends  ;  avoid  all  these,  or  the  whole 
beauty  of  the  bed  will  be  lost  for  the  season.  When  planting  make  sure 
that  the  plants  are  as  near  one  size  as  possible,  for  to  a  great  extent  the 
beauty  of  the  bed  depends  on  this  regularity  of  arrangement.  Be  sure 
and  provide  sufficient  plants,  that  they  may  be  planted  thickly,  so  as  to 
give  effect  at  once,  particularly  in  the  case  of  Coleus  and  Alternantheras 
-  in  fact,  when  sparingly  plantea  they  invariably  prove  a  failure.  As 
soon  as  the  plants  commence  growing  it  will  be  necessary  to  clip  or 
pinch  all  long  straggling  shoots  away  ;  after  this  comes  the  main  thing 
that  is,  every  plant  allowed  to  fill  its  allotted  space  and  no  more.  The 
various  lines  must  be  kept  well  defined  ;  should  one  plant  be  permitted 
to  outgrow  its  neighbour,  the  whole  will  become  coilfused  and  all  beauty 
gone  ;  therefore  strict  attention  to  trimming  must  now  become  the  whole 
and  sole  point  of  making  bedding  attractive.” 
