378 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
November  17,  189b. 
Events  of  the  Week.  -  On  Tuesday,  the  22nd  inst.,  the  Com¬ 
mittees  of  the  Iloyal  Horticultural  Society  are  to  meet,  as  announced  in 
a  separate  paragraph.  Though  Chrysanthemum  shows  are  decreasing 
materially  there  are  still  a  few  to  be  held  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 
-  Weather  in  London. — Instead  of  having  rain  in  the  second 
half  of  last  week  we  had  fog,  it  being  particularly  thick  on  the  mornings 
of  Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday.  As  usual  it  was  very  local.  On 
the  evening  of  the  latter  day  a  little  rain  fell,  but  Sunday  was  brilliantly 
fine,  and  for  the  middle  of  November  very  mild.  Monday  and  Tuesday 
were  clear  and  cloudy  at  intervals,  a  little  rain  falling  on  the  evening  of 
the  latter  day.  Wednesday  opened  dull  and  close. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society. — The  next  Fruit  and  Fioral 
meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday, 
November  22nd,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster,  1  to  4  p.m. 
At  three  o’clock  a  lecture  will  be  given  by  Mr.  A.  D.  Hall  on  “  Artificial 
Garden  Manures.” 
-  R.H.S.  Notifications  for  1899. — The  £10  10s.  Sherwood 
cup  will  in  1899  be  given  for  vegetables  shown  by  amateurs  or  gentle¬ 
men’s  gardeners  on  June  13th  and  September  26th.  The  Doints  obtained 
by  each  exhibitor  on  each  day  will  be  added  together  for  the  result.  June 
27th  will  be  the  Rose  Show  at  the  Drill  Hall.  On  July  llth  there  will 
be  an  International  Conference  held  at  Chiswick  on  hybridisation  and 
cross-breeding  in  plants,  together  with  an  exhibition  of  hybrid  and 
cross-bred  plants,  with  their  parents  (when  possible)  for  comparison. 
-  Beets  on  Dry  Soil. — In  a  trial  of  a  dozen  or  so  of  assumed 
diverse  varieties  of  Beets  I  conducted  this  summer,  on  which  the  great 
drought  told  with  marked  effect,  I  found  on  lifting  the  roots  a  day  or  two 
since  that  those  having  comparatively  robust  tops  gave  the  finest,  whilst 
those  more  refined  varieties  so  commonly  grown  in  gardens  gave  very 
pretty  and  clean  but  smallish  roots.  Of  the  strong  growers  referred  to 
Sutton’s  Black  and  Dobbie’s  Purple  and  Red  were  the  best.  These  should 
make  capital  varieiies  for  general  culture  on  poor  ground,  but  would  be 
too  gross  for  rich  garden  soil.  With  such  selections  as  Dell’s  Crimson, 
Nutting’s  Dwarf,  Pineapple,  Ashgrove,  and  some  others  both  descriptions 
of  soil  may  easily  be  accommodated. — A.  Kingston. 
-  Nymph^eas  and  Bees. — I  have  read  the  article  on  this 
subject  by  Mr.  Thos.  Pockett,  Victoria,  Australia,  on  page  335  of  the 
Journal.  I  cannot,  however,  afford  any  information  respecting  the 
varieties  that  are  grown  here  in  our  ornamental  water,  never  having 
taken  any  note  during  the  flowering  season.  I  did,  however,  take 
frequent  note  of  our  N.  stellata  in  the  warm  tank,  not  as  it  pertains 
to  bees,  but  to  a  rather  uncommon  form  of  fly,  which  was  evidently 
very  fond  of  the  nectar.  Ihis  fly  would  find  its  way  over  the  stamens 
of  each  flower,  but  rarely,  if  ever,  could  it  again  escape,  owing  to  the 
yielding  of  the  stamens  towards  the  centre.  Over  and  over  again  would 
one  of  these  insects  attempt  to  get  free,  but  in  every  case  under  obser¬ 
vation  it  failed.  The  day  afterwards  these  flies  would  be  in  a  semi¬ 
conscious  Btate,  dying  soon  afterwards,  each  flow’er  being  a  veritable 
death  trap.  Another  season  I  hope  to  watch  with  interest  the  actions 
of  the  bees  upon  the  other  varieties,  and  to  report  in  due  course. — 
Jas.  Hudson,  Gunnersbury  House  Gardens. 
-  Horticultural  Club. — The  monthly  dinner  ard  conver¬ 
sazione  took  place  at  the  rooms  of  the  Club,  Hotel  Windsor,  Victoria 
Street,  Westminster,  on  Tuesday  evening,  November  8th.  The  chair  was 
occupied  by  Sir  John  D.  T.  Llewelyn,  Bt ,  M.P.,  Chairman  of  the  Club. 
There  was  a  large  attendance  of  members,  including  the  Rev.  W.  Wilks, 
the  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Pemberton,  Messrs.  II.  J.  Veitch  (Vice-Chairman  of 
the  Club),  Edw.  Mawley,  C.  E.  Pearson,  James  II.  Veitch,  W.  Bassett, 
M.  J.  Garcia,  T.  W.  Girdlestone,  G.  Bunyard,  W.  F.  Cooling,  R.  Gofton 
Salmond,  Selfe  Leonard,  Harry  Turner,  and  the  Secretary.  The  dis¬ 
cussion  was  opened  by  Mr.  T.  W.  Girdlestone  on  the  Dahlia  as  a  garden 
flower.  He  reviewed  the  various  sections,  and  showed  how  much  the 
Cactus  Dahlia  had  increased  in  popularity,  and  that  we  might  look 
forward  to  still  further  improvements  in  it.  In  the  discussion  which 
followed,  in  which  most  of  those  present  took  part,  many  interesting 
facts  in  connection  with  the  flower  were  brought  out,  and  a  hearty  vote 
of  thanks  was  proposed  by  the  Chairman  to  Mr.  Girdlestone  for  his  most 
interesting  address. 
-  Flowers  at  Bournemouth.  —  On  Sunday  lust  Mr.  M.  E. 
Manwaring  wrote  to  a  daily  contemporary  . — “  It  may  interest  some  of 
y'our  readers  to  know  what  a  prolonged  summer  is  being  enjoyed  in 
lovely  Bournemouth.  In  my  garden,  on  the  West  Cliffe,  I  have  now 
twenty-eight  different  flowers  in  bloom,  including  Sweet  Peas,  Roses, 
Mignonette,  ‘Geraniums,’  Marguerites,  Jasminum,  Carnations,  and 
others.  The  air  is  delightfully  dry  and  mild,  and  on  most  days  we  are 
favoured  with  some  hours  of  bright  sunshine.” 
-  Bristol  Gardeners’  Association.— The  sixty  members  who 
attended  the  fortnightly  meeting  on  November  10th  were  delighted  with 
the  entertainment  afforded  them  by  Mr.  G.  Brooks,  of  Messrs.  Garaway 
and  Co.’s  nursery,  who  read  a  paper  entitled,  “  South  Wales  Notes.” 
In  it  he  described  various  things  of  interest  to  gardeners  that  he  had 
seen  at  Cardiff  Castle,  The  Hendre,  Tredegar  Park,  St.  Fagan’s  Castle, 
Golden  Grove,  Dowluis  House,  Ilensol  Castle,  and  other  great  gardens. 
Many  interesting  exhibits  were  staged  by  members,  among  which  a  vase 
of  single  Chrysanthemum  Miss  Mary  Anderson,  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Ambrose,  was  conspicuous.  A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Brooks  for  his 
paper  was  unanimously  accorded. — Chas.  Lock. 
-  The  Winter’s  Green  Crops. — There  seems  to  be  a  general 
impression  that  green  vegetables  will  be  scarce  during  the  coming  winter, 
and  prices  high  in  consequence  of  the  long  drought  and  the  terrible 
ravages  of  the  caterpillar.  Few  growers  can  remember  a  season  in 
which  this  pest  has  played  such  havoc,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  see 
whole  breadths  of  Brussels  Sprouts,  Cauliflower,  and  Broccoli  grown  for 
market  with  the  foliage  eutirely  riddled,  and  presenting  a  pitiable 
appearance.  Greens  planted  late  have  made  little  or  no  growth,  and  are 
not  much  bigger  than  when  they  were  put  out.  In  the  neighbourhood  of 
London  and  in  Kent,  where  hundreds  of  acres  are  devoted  to  growing 
winter  greens  for  the  supply  of  the  metropolis,  the  crop  is  not  nearly  so 
promising  as  usual,  and  there  is  every  likelihood  of  the  prices  later  on 
being  prohibitive  to  many  who  depend  on  the  greengrocer  for  their  supply 
of  winter  greens. — V.  T. 
-  Why  Fruit  does  not  Set.— We  are  reminded  by  the 
Director  of  the  Kansas  State  Experimental  Station  that  “in  some  varieties 
of  fruits  the  flowers  are  self-sterile  and  refuse  to  take  pollen  even  from 
another  flower  on  the  same  plant.  Fertilisation  can  then  take  place  only 
when  the  pollen  comes  from  a  separate  plant,  that  L,  from  a  plant  arising 
from  a  separate  seed.  All  our  varieties  of  orchard  and  small  fruits  are 
reproduced  by  cuttings,  grafts,  buds,  layers  or  other  similar  methods,  and 
not  from  seed,  hence  are  merely  one  plant  cut  up  into  a  great  many  parts. 
Therefore,  in  self-sterile  varieties,  such  as  Bartlett  Pears,  the  pollen  must 
be  obtained  from  another  variety.  Isolated  plants  or  large  orchards  of  a 
single  variety  may  fail  to  set  fruit  from  this  cause.  To  prevent  such 
failures  mix  the  varieties.  The  quickest  way  to  remedy  cases  which  have 
reached  maturity  is  to  top  graft  another  variety  for  producing  active 
pollen  in  sufficient  quantity.  An  insufficient  supply  of  bees  will  also 
hinder  the  setting  of  fruit.  While  other  insects  nny  take  part  in  the 
carrying  of  pollen,  the  fruit  raiser  must  rely  chiefly  upon  honey  bees. 
Experience  shows  that  though  hungry  bees  may  fly  two  or  three  miles, 
hives  should  be  within  a  mile  of  the  orchard  or  fruit  patch.” 
-  Amateur  Gardener’s  Action.  —  A  case  important  to 
amateur  gardeners  was  decided  by  Judge  Addison,  Q.C.,  at  Woolwich 
County  Court  on  Wednesday.  A  member  of  the  North  Woolwich 
Horticultural  Society  sued  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Society 
for  £5,  the  value  of  three  prizes,  won  at  the  recent  show  and  awarded 
by  the  Judges,  which  they  refused  to  hand  over.  PI.  intiff,  a  gas  stoker 
living  at  1,  Dock  Street,  North  Woolwich,  said  he  was  an  exhibitor  in 
sixteen  classes  ;  the  Judges  awarded  him  fifteen  prizes,  and  only  twelve 
were  given  him.  The  defence  was  that  the  Cabbages  which  won  the 
prizes  were  not  grown  in  the  plaintiff's  garden,  as  the  rules  of  the 
Society  stated  they  should  be,  and  that  the  awards  were  thus  secured 
by  fraud.  When  Coslin’s  garden  was  inspected  there  was  no  sign  that 
the  vegetables  had  been  grown  there.  His  Honour  said  that  did  not 
matter  ;  the  Judges  at  the  show  had  awarded  the  prizes  to  the  plaintiff, 
and  he  could  not  go  behind  their  decision.  It  was  just  as  good  as  law. 
He  accordingly  found  for  the  plaintiff,  the  £5  to  be  reduced  to  Is.  if 
the  prizes  were  handed  him. — (“Reynolds’  News  ”)  In  sending  the  above 
“A.  D.”  writes  : — “This  is  a  most  unfortunate  judgment,  and  one  that 
should  be  contested  in  a  superior  Court,  as  it  puts  a  premium  on  fraud. 
Executives  sometimes  have  facts  brought  to  their  notice  after  awards 
have  been  made  that  annul  those  awards  because  the  exhibits  are  not  in 
accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  schedule  of  the  exhibition.  If 
such  a  judgment  be  allowed  to  stand  uncontested  it  opens  the  door  to  all 
description  cf  deception  and  fraud  being  practised  at  flower  shows.” 
