August  11,  1898. 
JOURNAL  Of  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
107 
-  Messrs.  Fell  &  Co.’s  Outing.  —  The  employs  of  Messrs. 
Wm.  Fell  &  Co.,  nurserymen,  Hexham,  to  the  number  of  between  seventy 
and  eighty,  were  entertained  by  the  firm  to  an  excursion  to  Whitby, 
Yorks,  on  Thursday,  4th  August.  The  party  had  a  most  enjoyable  day, 
the  weather  being  fine,  and  the  time  was  spent  in  visiting  the  various 
sights  in  the  neighbourhood,  including  the  Abbey  and  Robin  Hood 
Bay.  The  journey  was  made  by  the  coast  route,  so  that  it  passed 
through  a  very  pretty  part  of  the  country. 
- Bismarck  and  the  Gardener’s  Child. — “In  the  home 
circle,”  writes  a  correspondent  who  knew  him  well,  “Prince  Bismarck 
was  passionately  fond  of  children,  and  I  have  seen  him  over  and  over 
again  have  a  game  with  the  little  ones  of  his  gardener,  who  were  very 
familiar  with  him,  and  would  not  hesitate  to  climb  upon  his  knee.  Once, 
when  his  gardener’s  little  girl  died,  the  great  statesman  went  to  condole 
with  him.  He  was  dreadfully  upset,  and  whilst  holding  the  poor  father’s 
hand  burst  into  tears,  for  he  w*as  very  fond,  of  the  child.  He  kissed  the 
little  corpse  and  himself  placed  a  bunch  of  Roses  in  its  hand.” 
-  The  Weather  and  the  Crops.  —  A  heavy  downpour  of 
rain,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning,  passed  over  this  neighbour¬ 
hood  (Biggleswade)  on  the  6th  inst.  The  rain  came  down  in  torrents, 
1*021  inch  fell  in  about  twenty  minutes,  making  miniature  watercourses 
on  carriage  drives  and  walks,  removing  several  tons  of  gravel,  and  this 
just  on  the  eve  of  harvest  operations.  The  crops  of  corn  are  a  good 
deal  battered  down,  and  the  basement  of  low-lying  dwellings  were  flooded, 
but  most  kinds  of  garden  crop3  and  roots  will  be  greatly  benefited  by 
the  much-needed  rain. — G.  R.  Allis. 
- The  Weather  in  July  at  IIodsock  Priory.— Mean  tempera¬ 
ture,  St)'!0.  Maximum  in  the  screen,  78*9°  on  the  15th  ;  minimum  in  the 
screen,  59  2°  on  the  20th.  Minimum  on  the  grass,  29°  on  the  20th. 
Number  of  frosts  in  shade  none;  on  the  grass  three.  Sunshine,  185 
hours,  or  37  per  cent,  of  the  possible  duration.  Rainfall,  P61  inch  ; 
difference  from  average,  1-01  inch.  Rain  fell  on  seven  days.  Maximum 
fall,  1*23  inch  on  the  22nd.  Rainfall  from  January  1st,  1018  inches  ; 
difference  from  average,  3*76  inches.  A  fine  month  with  cold  nights.  A 
very  good  crop  of  all  small  fruits. — J.  Mallender,  Worksop. 
-  July  Weather  at  Doavlais. — Rainfall,  1-02  inch,  which 
fell  on  five  days  ;  greatest  fall  0-45  on  the  22nd.  No  rain  fell  from  the 
2nd  to  the  20th,  inclusive  (which  is  a  very  rare  occurrence  for  this 
district),  but  on  most  days  the  sun  was  brilliant,  accompanied  by  cold 
drying  wind.  Mean  temperature  for  the  month,  6P92°.  Mean  maximum, 
8P20o  ;  highest  reading,  97°  on  the  9th.  Mean  minimum,  42*64°  ;  lowest 
readings,  32°  on  the  3rd  and  29th,  30°  on  the  13th,  and  31°  on  the 
30th.  The  wind  was  in  the  W.  and  S.W.  on  nineteen  days,  and  in  the 
N.W.  on  ten  days.  There  was  a  heavy  thunderstorm  on  the  22nd.  There 
were  three  sunless  days. — Wm.  Mabbott,  Qwernllwyn  Bouse,  Doiclais. 
-  The  Weather  Last  Month.— July  was  a  dry  month,  with 
an  excess  of  sunshine  and  a  lower  temperature  than  usual.  The  wind 
was  in  a  westerly  direction  on  seventeen  days.  Total  rainfall,  0*97  inch, 
.  which  fell  on  six  days,  and  is  1'85  inch  below  the  average  for  the 
month  ;  the  greatest  daily  fall  was  0*50  inch  on  the  1st.  Barometer 
(corrected  and  reduced).— Highest  reading,  30*393  inches  on  the  10th  at 
9  P.M.  ;  lowest,  29  658  inches  on  the  23ra  at  9  A.M.  Thermometers. — 
Highest  in  the  shade,  78°  on  the  15th  and  31st ;  lowest,  39°  on  the  5th. 
Mean  of  daily  maxima,  7P03°;  mean  of  daily  minima,  49*74°.  Mean 
temperature  of  the  month,  60*38°  ;  lowest  on  the  grass,  36°  on  the  5th  ; 
highest  in  the  sun,  137°  on  16th  ;  mean  of  the  earth,  3  feet  deep,  58*38°. 
Total  sunshine,  203  hours  35  minutes.  There  were  two  sunless  days. 
— W.  II.  Divers,  The  Gardens,  Belvoir  Castle,  Grantham. 
-  The  Carshalton  Vegetable  Point  Class. — Having  read 
in  the  last  issue  of  the  Journal  the  report  of  the  recent  Carshalton 
Flower  Show,  and  of  the  point  awards  made  to  ihe  six  prize  collections 
of  vegetables,  to  which  that  novel,  just,  yet  unusual  apportionment  of 
cash  according  to  point  value  is  made,  I  turned  to  my  record  of  the 
number  of  points  awarded  in  each  of  the  pist  three  years,  and  compared 
them  with  those  of  the  present  year.  In  1895  the  first  collection  obtained 
61  marks,  and  the  total  of  points  for  the  six  collections  was  317.  In  1896 
the  first  prize  was  awarded  for  57  points,  and  the  total  was  only  273.  That 
showed  a  material  declension  in  quality.  Last  year  the  best  collection 
had  59  points,  the  total  for  six  being  310j,  and  this  year  the  highest  is 
56,  the  lowest  so  far,  whilst  the  total  for  the  six  collections  is  277.  Oddly 
enough  the  lowest  pointed  best  of  four  years  gets  the  largest  amount  of 
money.  That  was  due  to  the  relatively  lower  pointing  of  the  other 
■collections. — A.  D. 
-  Presentation  to  Mr.  F.'  Geeson.— Mr.  Fredk.  Geeson,  on 
his  retirement  from  the  position  of  gardener  to  the  late  Earl  of  Egmont, 
consequent  on  the  changes  in  the  establishment,  has  been  presented  with 
a  silver- mounted  stick  with  a  suitable  inscription,  cigarette  case  and 
holder,  together  w*ith  an  address  from  the  men  employed  in  the  gardens. 
— F.  Edwards. 
Belhelvie  Show. — Belhelvie  is  about  eight  miles  from 
Aberdeen,  and  the  third  annual  show  was  held  on  Saturday  last.  The 
entries  were  numerous,  and  many  of  the  exhibits  were  of  the  highest 
order,  and  the  competition  keen.  All  the  fruit  was  arranged  on  large 
tables  protected  with  wire  netting  on  the  front,  which  prevented  visitors 
from  touching  fthe  specimens;  hardy  fruit,  especially  Strawberries, 
Gooseberries,  and  Currants,  being  remarkably  fine.  Excellent  vegetables 
w*ere  staged,  and  all  the  collections  were  neatly  arranged.  In  the  classes 
for  single  dishes  of  Peas  and  Broad  Beans  the  specimens  w*ere  grand. 
Potatoes  were  clean,  even,  of  medium  size  ;  while  Cabbages,  Onions,  and 
Leeks  were  meritorious.  Cut  flowers  were  a  feature.  Quantities  of 
Carnations,  Roses,  Dahlias,  Pansies,  annuals  and  herbaceous  flowers 
occupying  a  considerable  amount  of  space.  In  plants,  Fuchsias,  Begonias 
Pelargoniums,  Petunias,  and  Ferns  were  numerous  and  well  grown' 
W.  Ilarvey,  Esq.,  Middlemuir  (Mr.  Douglas,  gardener),  was  a  large  and 
successful  exhibitor.  The  President,  W.  H.  Lumsden,  Esq.,  F.R.II.S., 
Balmedio  (gardener  Mr.  G.  W.  Cummins)  who  takes  great  interest  in 
horticulture  and  agriculture,  contributed  stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  not 
for  competition.  An  industrial  exhibition  was  held  in  connection  with 
the  above,  and  proved  an  attractive  adjunct  to  the  horticultural  show. 
-  Presentation  to  a  Well-known  Scottish  Gardener. 
—On  Saturday,  July  30th,  Mr.  William  Henderson,  the  able  gardener  at 
Balbirnie,  Markinch,  Fife,  was  the  recipient,  at  the  hands  of  the  officials 
of  the  Markinch  Cottage  Gardening  Society,  of  a  beautiful  gold  keyless 
stop  watch  and  albert  for  himself,  and  an  elegant  silver  cake  basket  for 
Mrs.  Henderson,  bearing  suitable  inscriptions.  This  presentation  was  the 
outcome  of  a  strong  desire  on  the  part  of  those  connected  with  the  Society 
to  express  their  appreciation  of  Mr.  Henderson’s  services  during  the  past 
twenty-five  years,  and  the  extent  of  such  disinterested  assistance  may  be 
conveyed  when  it  isknowm  that  in  1873  the  takings  were  only  some  25s.  ; 
now,  however,  the  Society  is  in  a  sound  financial  position,  and  the  expenses 
incurred  at  the  last  show  average  £200,  a  by  no  means  inconsiderable  sum 
when  the  village  can  only  boast  of  1500  inhabitants,  with  a  thinly  popu¬ 
lated  neighbourhood.  The  President  of  the  Society,  Provost  Dixon,  in 
making  the  presentation,  remarked  on  Mr.  Henderson’s  capabilities  in 
restoring  order  from  a  heterogeneous  mass  of  garden  produce.  All 
good  wishes  to  the  wearer  being  given  from  the  chair,  the  Chairman 
closed  his  remarks,  whereupon  Mr.  Henderson  suitably  replied,  and 
while  thanking  them  for  their  handsome  and  valuable  gifts,  which  he 
was  justly  proud  of,  ho  valued  their  confidence  and  esteem  a  great 
deal  more. 
-  A  Beautiful  White  Carnation.— White  Carnations  are 
charming,  but  some  of  them,  if  not  most,  are  lacking  in  the  constitutional 
vigour  that  is  essential  for  what  may  be  termed  constant  garden  flowers. 
After  seeing  some  hundreds  of  plants  and  thousands  of  blooms  of  a 
variety  named  George  Macquay  in  the  garden  of  its  raiser,  Mr.  W. 
Robinson,  in  Sussex,  an  opinion  may  be  expressed  that  this  is  the  finest 
white  Carnation  in  existence  for  effect  in  he  garden,  and  yielding  blooms 
in  abundance,  smooth  and  clear,  for  room  decoration  in  vases.  It  has 
been  grown  for  five  years  with  most,  if  not  all,  other  white  varieties,  and 
not  one  of  them  cou;d  approach  it  in  the  combination  of  properties — 
hardiness,  fioriferousness,  and  the  successional  production  of  symmetrical 
blooms,  while  not  a  suspicion  of  a  split  pod  could  be  seen  in  ten 
thousand  of  them.  George  Macquay  as  seen  in  long  rows,  the  plants 
having  never  received  the  slightest  protection,  impressed  one  very 
forcibly  as  being  a  Carnation  for  the  million,  and  if  it  does  not  become  a 
standard  border  variety  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  other  characters  a 
white  Carnation  should  possess  to  entitle  it  to  that  claim.  The  stock  is 
8 aid  to  have  passed  into  the  hands  of  Messrs.  James  Veiteh  &  Sons,  at  d 
it  is  questionable  if  anything  better  in  its  way  has  been  distributed 
from  Chelsea.  That  of  itself  is  no  small  praise,  but  believed  to  be 
fully  merited.  Let  George  Macquay  be  tried  in  the  form  of  stout  plants, 
and  not  “coddled,”  and  do  not  let  its  pristine  vigour  be  impaired  by 
excessive  propagation.  At  present,  judging  by  the  stock  to  work  from, 
the  danger  should  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  ;  its  owner  has  certainly 
tested  it  thoroughly  before  allowing  it  to  pass  from  his  hands.  The 
famous  floral  artist,  Mr.  Moon,  was  “caught”  transferring  blooms  of  it, 
not  to  canvas,  but  to  a  panel  of  ancient  oak,  and  seemed  to  be  particularly 
happy  in  the  delicate  operation. 
