406 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  12  InUp. 
-  Extension  op  Premises. — Messrs.  B.  S.  Williams  &  Son.  of 
Upper  Holloway,  have  acquired  extensive  grounds,  forming  part  of  the 
Manor  Farm,  Regent’s  Park  Road,  Finchley,  for  the  purpose  of  further 
extending  their  business,  and  growing  hardy  trees,  shrubs,  general 
nursery  stock,  and  plants  under  glass. 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society. — At  the  ordinary  meeting 
of  the  Society,  to  be  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  Royal  Astronomical 
Society,  in  the  Quadrangle  of  Burlington  House,  Piccadilly,  W.,  on 
Wednesday,  the  I8th  inst.,  at  4.30  P.M.,  the  following  papers  will  be 
read  : — “  The  Frequency  of  Rainy  Days  in  the  British  Islands,”  by 
Robert  H.  Scott,  M.A.,  F.R.S.  ;  “The  Abnormal  Weather  of  January, 
1898,”  by  Frederick  J.  Brodie,  F.R.Met.Soc. 
-  Wolverhampton  Horticultural  Club. — There  was  a 
numerously  attended  fortnightly  meeting  of  this  enterprising  Society  on 
the  3rd  inst.,  Mr.  Simpson  presiding,  when  Mr.  James  Deans  (Messrs. 
John  Pope  &  Son,  Birmingham)  gave  a  most  interesting  lecture  on  the 
history  and  culture  of  the  Iris,  illustrated  by  coloured  plates  and 
drawings  of  several  of  the  choicer  species  and  varieties.  Unfortunately 
it  was  too  early  in  the  season  for  a  display  of  cut  specimens,  excepting, 
perhaps,  the  few  earlier  blooming  kinds.  The  lecture  was  listened  to 
with  close  attention,  and  in  the  ensuing  discussion  one  of  the  speakers 
humourously  remarked  that  one  or  two  sceptical  acquaintances  of  the 
fraternity  had  remarked  to  him  that  they  did  not  think  it  worth  while 
to  be  at  the  trouble  of  going  to  listen  to  a  description  of  “blue  Flags,” 
but  had  they  come  no  doubt  they  would  have  been  convinced  of  the 
contrary,  and  have  cause  to  admire  and  reflect. — W.  G. 
-  Death  op  Mr.  A.  Simpson. — On  the  4th  inst.  the  death 
occurred  of  a  well  known  citizen  of  York — viz.,  Mr.  A.  Simpson,  head 
of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  A.  Simpson  k.  Sons,  Heworth  Nurseries,  ot  whom 
it  may  be  said  that  from  small  beginnings  he  had  made  for  himself  a 
prominent  position  amongst  the  nurserymen  of  the  county.  He  was 
associated  with  the  Ancient  Society  of  York  Florists,  amongst  whom 
(as  well  as  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances)  he  was  highly  respected.  His 
connection  with  the  Society  extended  from  the  year  1868,  and  for  a  great 
part  of  the  time  he  served  on  the  Committee,  having  filled  the  office  of 
Steward  three  years,  and  in  1894  occupied  the  position  of  Chairman  of 
the  Executive,  the  most  successful  (financially)  year  in  the  Society’s 
annals.  He  was  a  prominent  figure  at  the  York  Chrysanthemum  shows 
since  their  beginning,  having  charge  of  the  arrangements  for  the  vegetable 
exhibits,  no  light  duty,  as  those  who  know  the  quantity  to  deal  with  could 
testify.  The  more  immediate  cause  of  the  end  was  a  paralytic  seizure. 
The  interment  took  place  on  the  7th  inst.  at  York  Cemetery,  being 
preceded  by  a  service  at  St.  Thomas’  Church,  the  chaplain  (Rev.  H. 
Vyvyan)  taking  a  part,  many  of  the  deceased’s  colleagues  being  present 
He  was  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  and  leaves  a  widow,  three  sons 
and  two  daughters.  —  J.  L. 
-  Winter-flowering  Felargoniums,  —  In  your  note  at 
page  388  you  say,  “  It  is  comparatively  seldom  one  sees  a  really  first-class 
collection.”  Doubtless  you  were  here  referring  more  to  culture  and 
blooming  than  to  mere  variety.  Seeing  this  note  induced  me  to  refer  to 
Mr.  Parker’s  paper,  in  which  he  gives  what  can  be  described  as  an 
exceedingly  restricted  list  of  varieties,  whether  double  or  single,  suitable 
for  winter  culture.  At  Swanley,  where  may  always  in  midwinter  be  seen 
a  superb  show  of  single  and  double  Pelargoniums  in  bloom,  and  really  a 
marvellous  sight,  not  only  are  all  the  summer  blooming  varieties  prac¬ 
tically  reproduced,  but  there  are  scores  of  them.  Really,  I  have  seldom 
found  any  good  flowering  summer  variety  that  would  not  under  ordinary 
culture  flower  equally  well  in  the  winter.  It  is  needful  to  say  so  much  to 
disabuse  minds  of  a  popular  error.  Then  your  mention  of  the  compara¬ 
tive  scarcity  of  winter-flowering  collections  naturally  turned  my  thoughts 
to  the  singularly  beautiful  one  which  Mr.  Salter  provides  for  his  employer, 
Mr.  Haywood,  at  Woodhatch,  Reigate,  every  winter.  A  span  house  is 
devoted  entirely  to  these  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  all  single,  and  the  sight  of 
brilliant  floral  colouring  to  be  seen  is  one  caleulated  to  stagger  and  sur¬ 
prise  anyone.  I  have  often  marvelled  that  similar  beautiful  shows  were 
not  common.  Now  I  noted  last  November  the  best  varieties  in  great 
variety  of  colour  at  Woodhatch.  There  are  two  dozen  recorded,  and  all 
different  from  any  mentioned  by  Mr.  Parker.  Richer  colours,  finer 
pips,  more  luxuriant  florescence  no  other  varieties  could  excel.  If  the 
plants  could  have  been  carted  to  the  Drill  Hall  they  would  have  made 
the  sensation  of  the  season.  All  were  in  6-inch  pots  ;  all  from  cuttings 
made  at  the  end  of  the  previous  January,  grown,  pinched  from  time 
to  time,  stood  outdoors  to  harden,  ceasing  pinching  end  of  August,  plants 
got  under  glass  in  September,  then  allowed  to  come  away  and  bloom  as  I 
saw  them.— Visitor. 
-  Tomatoes  for  Planting  Out. — Tomatoes  in  5  or  6-inch 
pots  for  outdoor  culture  must  be  kept  in  cool  airy  positions  near  the 
glass,  so  as  to  insure  them  being  kept  sturdy. — E. 
- Pricking  Out  Half-hardy  Annuals.  —  To  secure  good 
plants  at  bedding-out  time  which  will  give  the  best  results  it  is  necessary 
that  seedlings  which  may  be  crowded  in  seed  pots  or  boxes  be  trans¬ 
planted  in  fresh  soil  in  a  frame  or  boxes.  Asters,  Stocks,  Marigolds, 
Scabious,  Carnations,  Zinnias,  Salpiglossis,  Phlox  Drummondi  should 
receive  this  attention. — E,  S. 
-  Pontederia  crassipes. — This  plant  flowered  last  autumn  in 
the  Lily  tank  at  the  Oxford  Botanic  Garden,  and  now  again  its  flowers 
are  displayed  therein.  Probably  only  a  limited  number  of  those  who 
have  cultivated  this  plant  have  ever  succeeded  in  flowering  it,  so  that  the 
circumstance  of  its  repeated  blooming  at  Oxford  at  so  short  an  interval, 
and  thus  early  in  the  season,  would  appear  to  be  deserving  of  recording 
in  the  Journal. — J.  E.  J. 
- Isle  of  Wight  Rose  Society. — At  the  annual  meeting  ot 
the  above  Society  recently  held  at  Newport,  and  presided  over  by  Sir 
Barrington  Simeon,  Bart.,  M.P.,  the  Financial  Secretary  stated  that 
the  total  receipts  for  1897  were  £71  15s.  lid.,  and  the  expenditure 
£59  3s.  3d.,  leaving  a  credit  balance  of  £12  12s.  8d.  It  was  decided 
to  hold  this  year’s  show  at  Carisbrooke  Castle  (by  permission  of 
H.R.H.  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg)  on  June  16th.  Sir  Barrington 
Simeon  was  unanimously  re-elected  President  of  the  Society. 
-  April  Weather  at  Hodsock  Priory. — Mean  temperature 
of  the  month,  46‘9°.  Maximum  in  the  screen,  66’7°  on  the  8th  ;  minimum 
in  screen,  25'5°  on  5th  ;  minimum  on  the  grass,  15'1°  on  the  5th. 
Number  of  frosts  in  the  shade,  six  ;  on  the  grass,  eighteen.  Sunshine 
1 16  hours,  or  28  per  cent,  of  the  possible  duration.  Rainfall,  2'50  inches  ; 
rain  fell  on  thirteen  days  ;  maximum  fall,  1*22  on  the  11th.  Rainfall  from 
January  1st  5’12,  diff.  from  average  1'73.  A  mild  month,  with  heavy  fall  of 
rain  on  Easter  Monday.  The  last  few  days  wet. — J.  Mallender. 
-  Yellow  Polyanthuses. — I  notice  that  the  yellow  variety 
referred  to  as  John  Wilkinson  is  by  “N.  N.”  termed  a  Primrose 
Mr.  Arnott  gives  it  its  proper  designation — Polyanthus.  It  is  a  pity 
everyone  does  not  understand  the  undoubted  distinctions  that  exist 
between  one  and  another.  A  true  good  yellow  Primrose  I  have  never 
seen.  Even  the  double  yellows  are  pale  creamy  things,  falsely  called 
yellow  ;  yet  I  have  raised  scores  of  thousands  from  seed  of  true  Prim¬ 
roses  of  all  the  colours  I  could  obtain.  Probably  if  some  readers  had 
had  my  experience  of  yellow  Polyanthuses  they  would  make  less  fuss 
over  any  variety.  They  are  common  enough,  although  now  I  never  see 
such  grand  orange  yellow  hose-in-hose  Polyanthuses  as  I  used  to  have  at 
Bedfont.  But  of  ordinary  yellows  of  the  finest  form,  richest  colour,  and 
thrum-eyed,  too,  there  are  plenty.  I  saw  great  masses  of  seedlings  the 
other  day  at  Long  Ditton,  from  which  I  could  have  selected  scores  of 
splendid  yellows,  and  I  longed  to  select  the  wheat  from  the  tares,  but  it 
was  not  my  business.  I  should  have  liked  “N.  N.”  to  have  seen  the  grand 
show  of  these  Polyanthuses  I  saw  the  other  day  at  Farnham. — A.  D. 
-  Blacks  in  Tomatoes. — If  by  this  term  “  N.  N.”  means  the 
black  blotches  so  commonly  found  on  and  about  the  flower  points  of 
Tomatoes,  I  fear  his  suggestion  as  to  the  cause  hardly  meets  the  case. 
How  frequently  does  it  happen  that  this  black  spot  or  blotch  is  seen  on 
the  under  sides  of  the  fruit  to  which  the  sun’s  rays  hardly'  get  access. 
An  odd  circumstance  I  noticed  in  looking  through  some  Tomato  bouses 
recently  was  that  whilst  spot  was  very  rare  on  the  red  varieties,  it  was 
so  common  on  a  yellow  variety  of  high  repute  that  few  fruits  were  left 
sound.  But  the  disease  no  doubt  begins  in  the  flower,  where,  in  moisture 
probably,  the  fungus  gets  possession,  and  proceeds,  after  destroying  the 
blooms,  to  extend  to  the  fruit.  That  seems  to  be  the  only  explanation 
of  its  common  appearance  near  or  exactly  on  the  flower  points  of  the 
fruits.  It  is  a  disease  which  once  it  is  found  seems  to  admit  of  no  healing. 
Nothing  remains  but  to  pull  the  fruits  and  to  destroy  them.  If  any 
remedy  is  to  be  found  at  all  it  would  seem  to  be  needful  of  application 
whilst  the  bloom  is  open.  Possibly  dustings  of  sulphur,  or  creating 
sulphur  fumes  by  coating  the  pipes  with  sulphur  paste  or  similar 
dressing,  may  do  good.  In  any  case  there  is  much  need  for  a  more 
complete  elucidation  of  the  true  nature  of  the  disease  and  its  remedies, 
if  any  are  to  be  found.  Sprayings  of  Bordeaux  mixture  are  easily 
advised,  but  because  so  dangerous  on  Tomatoes,  not  desirable  remedies. 
The  production  of  sulphur  vapour  may  be  much  less  so.  One  thing  is  very 
certain  in  relation  to  Tomatoes  under  glass  ;  it  is  that  if  warmth  is 
maintained,  they  can  hardly  have  too  much  ventilation.  — D. 
