'  December  8  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
437 
-  Bullfinches. —  On  page  3971  noticed  “  J.  H.”  gave  us  warning 
that  bullfinches  would  be  likely  to  be  of  great  trouble  if  not  trapped, 
and  I  fully  agree,  as  I  have  seen  them  in  this  locality  (Mid  Herts)  in 
large  numbers.  If  “J.  II.”  would  kindly  give  us  a  little  information  in 
the  Journal  as  to  how  to  trap  these  mischievous  birds  I  am  sure  it  would 
be  of  assistance  to  many  of  the  craft. — C.  W. 
-  Sussex  Rainfall!  -  The  total  rainfall  at  Stonehurst,  Ardingly, 
for  November  was  3-77  inches,  being  0‘10  inch  above  the  average.  The 
heaviest  fall  was  M3  inch  on  the  23rd.  Rain  fell  on  fourteen  days.  The 
maximum  temperature  was  58°  on  the  3rd,  the  minimum  27°  on  the  23rd 
and  30th.  Mean  maximum,  50-06°  ;  mean  minimum,  40-03°.  Mean  tempe¬ 
rature,  45‘04°,  which  is  2-04°  above  the  average. — R.  I. 
-  November  Weather  at  Driffield. — Mean  temperature  at 
9  A. M.  (corrected),  44-15°.  Wet  bulb,  43-11°.  Mean  maximum,  49  12°; 
mean  minimum,  39-98°.  Highest,  59-4°  on  the  2nd  ;  lowest,  28°  on  the 
■23rd.  Mean  of  maxima  and  minima,  44 '55°.  Mean  radiation  tempera¬ 
ture  on  the  grass,  35-10°  ;  lowest,  23°  on  the  24th.  Rainfall,  3-120  inches. 
Number  of  rainy  days,  twenty.  Greatest  amount  on  one  day,  0-87  inch 
on  the  23rd.  Mean  amount  of  cloud  at  9  A.M.  (estimated),  6-7°. — 
W.  E.  Lovel,-  Observer,  York  Road ,  Driffield. 
- November  Weather  at  Hodsock  Priory,  Worksop.— 
Mean  temperature,  44-5°.  Maximum  in  the  screen,  60-8°  on  the  2nd  ; 
minimum  in  the  screen,  24  9°  on  the  23rd.  Minimum  on  the  grass,  15-1° 
on  the  23rd.  Number  of  frosts,  in  the  shade  five  ;  on  the  grass  fourteen. 
Sunshine,  38  hour-,  or  15  per  cent,  of  the  possible  duration.  Difference 
from  average  —  8.  Rainfall,  2-48  inches.  Difference  from  average  -f  0'39. 
Rain  fell  on  nineteen  days.  Maximum  fall  1-12  on  the  23rd.  Rainfall 
from  January  1st  18-87  inches,  difference  from  average  —  4-31.  Mild 
till  the  last  week,  without  any  quantity  of  rain  till  the  23rd,  when  there 
was  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  which  soon  melted.  — J.  Mallender. 
-  November  Weather  at  DowlAis.— Rainfall,  5  40  inches, 
which  fell  on  nineteen  days.  Greatest  falls,  Pi 5  inch  on  the  23rd  and 
1-04  inch  on  the  2nd.  On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  the  ground  was 
covered  with  snow  to  the  depth  of  5  inches,  but  rain  commencing  to  fall 
at  daylight  it  was  soon  gone.  Temperatures  :  mean  maximum,  50-6°  ; 
highest  reading,  60°  on  the  9th  ;  mean  minimum,  35°  ;  lowest  reading, 
20°,  on  the  22nd  ;  below  freezing  point  on  twelve  nights  ;  lowest  day 
temperature,  38°,  on  the  19th  and  24th,  with  a  night  temperature  on  each 
dite  of  36°.  The  wind  was  in  the  N.  and  N.E.  on  fourteen  days,  and  in 
the  S.W.  and  W.  on  eight  days.  There  were  sixteen  sunless  days  ; 
average  daily  amount  of  sunshine,  1  hour  12  minutes.  Very  rough  strong 
winds,  with  several  foggy  days,  throughout  the  month. — Wm.  Mabbott. 
-  November  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle.— November  had 
more  than  the  average  amount  of  sunshine.  Fog  was  recorded  on 
thirteen  days.  The  wind  was  in  a  southerly  direction  eighteen  days. 
The  total  rainfall  was  2-39  inches,  which  fell  on  seventeen  days,  and  is 
0-01  inch  below  the  average  for^  the  month.  The  greatest  daily' fall  was 
-0*88  inch  (snow  and  rain)  on  the  23rd.  Barometer  (corrected  and 
reduced),  highest  reading  30-418  inches  on  the  18th  at  9  A.M.  ;  lowest 
28-795  inches  on  the  25th  at  9  A.M.  Thermometers  :  highest  in  the  shade, 
61°  on  the  3rd  ;  lowest,  22°  on  the  23rd.  Mean  of  daily  maxima,  49-23°  ; 
mean  of  daily  minima,  38-23°.  Mean  temperature  of  the  month,  43-73°  ; 
lowest  on  the  grass  19°  on  the  23rd  ;  highest  in  the  sun,  104°  on  the  3rd. 
Mean  temperature  of  the  earth  at  3  feet,  48-60°,  Total  sunshine,  67  hours 
25  minutes.  There  were  eleven  sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers. 
-  The  Hessle  Gardeners’  Improvement  Society.— A 
meeting  of  the  above  Society  was  held  in  the  Parish  Schoolroom  on 
Tuesday,  November  29th,  Mr.  F.  Mason,  Hessle,  in  the  chair,  when 
Mr.  John  Snell  of  Elmet  Hall,  Leeds,  read  a  paper  on  “The  Culture 
of  Mushrooms.”  Mr.  Snell  is  a  successful  cultivator  of  this  delicious 
fungus,  and  as  was  anticipated,  the  paper  was  full  of  practical  advice,  and 
was  eagerly  listened  to  by  the  large  number  of  members  present.  There 
was  a  capital  discussion,  in  which  twenty  members  took  part.  The  usual 
vote  of  thanks  to  the  essayist  and  chairman  brought  a  highly  instructive 
and  interesting  meeting  to  a  close.  In  connection  with  this  meeting  there 
was  a  decorative  competition  held,  only-  under-gardeners  and  amateurs 
being  eligible,  for  a  vase  of  Chrysanthemums  arranged  for  effect,  artistic 
arrangement  to  be  the  chief  merit.  Mr.  G.  Picker,  Hesslowood,  and  Mr. 
F.  Mason  were  the  judges,  and  the  first  prize  was  awarded  to  Mr. 
O’Donoghue,  and  the  sec<?nd  to  Mr.  Flowers,  both  of  Tranby  Croft  ;  the 
third  to  Mr.  Skinner  of  The  Gardens,  Bishop  Burton  Hall,  and  Mr. 
W.  Hollingsworth  of  The  Cliffe  Gardens,  Hessle,  was  commended. 
— J.  T.  B. 
-  Momordta  COCHINCHINENSIS — Among  the  many  handsome 
“Gourds’  cultivated  in  the  Water  Lily  house  at  Kew  this  is  both  ore  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  most  distinct.  As  the  name  implies  it  is  a  native 
of  Cochin  China.  The  fruits  are,  when  fully  matured,  about  the  same 
size  and  shape  as  a  cocoa-nut.  They  are  thickly  covered  with  thick  fleshy 
senes,  and  are  rich  blood-red  in  colour.  Anyone  who  intends  growing- 
this  should  be  careful  to  obtain  both  male  and -female  plants,  as  it  is 
dioecious.  It  can  be  grown  easily  from  seeds,  but  to  be  certain  of  having 
both  forms  cuttings  should  be  used.  After  fruiting,  the  plants  should  not 
be  pulled  up  but  rested.  In  spring  they  will  start  vigorously,  and  make 
finer  plants,  with  more  fruit,  than  young  ones. — D.  Iv. 
-  Birmingham  Gardeners'  Association. — At  the  fortnightly- 
meeting  held  on  November  28th,  Mr.  Walter  Jones  in  the  chair,  Mr. 
W.  B.  Latham,  Curator,  Botanical  Gardens,  Edgbaston,  read  a  mi  st 
interesting  paper  on  “Nepenthes,”  the  subject  being  illustrated  with  a 
representative  collection  of  species  kindly  sent  to  the  essayist  by  Mr. 
Owen  Thomas  from  Frogmore,  and  Messrs.  James  Veitch  &  Sons, 
Chelsea.  The  history,  habitat,  cultivation,  and  other  attributes  of  the 
various  species  were  instructively  dealt  with,  and  in  the  discussion  which 
followed  mention  was  made  of  a  few  other  kinds  of  plants  that  are 
possessed  of  pitcher-like  appendages.  At  the  same  meeting  an  exhibition 
of  excellent  Celery'  took  place,  the  prizes  bemg  accorded  to  Messrs. 
G.  Stacey,  and  H.  Snead. 
-  Mr.  Whittall,  of  Smyrna. — Our  readers  will  regret  to 
hear  that  this  gentleman,  who  has  done  so  much  to  enrich  our  gardens 
with  rare  bulbs  and  seeds  from  Asia  Minor,  has  recently  been  captured 
by  brigands.  The  following  note  appears  in  London  papers  “Mr, 
Whittall,  a  British  subject  resident  at  Smyrna,  who  was  recently  captured 
by  brigands  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town,  was  released  on  Saturday 
evening.  The  Sultan,  on  hearing  of  his  capture,  immediately  sent  orders 
to  the  Vali  of  Smyrna  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  procure  Mr.  Whittall’s 
release,  and  even,  if  necessary',  to  pay  the  ransom  demanded  by  the 
brigands.”  Mr.  Whittall  is  to  be  congratulated  on  his  lucky  escape, 
and  we  sincerely  hope  that  his  adventure  will  not  deter  him  from  con¬ 
tinuing  to  explore  the  mountain  Flora,  from  which  he  has  sent  us  so 
many'  fine  and  new  Snowdrops,  Seillas,  Chionodoxas,  Tulips,  Irises.  &c., 
during  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years. — F.  W.  Burbidge  (in  “The 
Garden  ”). 
-  Destroying  Stumps. — With  a  2- inch  augur  bore  a  vertical 
hole  in  the  centre  of  the  stump  from  the  top  towards  the  bottom.  In 
the  side  of  the  stump  near  the  ground  level  boro  a  horizontal  hole 
towards  the  centre  so  as  to  open  into  the  bottom  of  the  vertical  hole. 
Drop  some  fire  down  the  vertical  hole,  and  the  draught  of  air  rushing 
in  by  the  horizontal  hole  will,  like  the  draught  of  a  chimney,  maintain 
the  fire  in  the  centre,  which  slowly  spreads  and  ultimately  burns  away 
the  stump.  Another  method  : — In  autumn  bore  a  hole  2  inches  in 
diameter  and  18  inches  in  depth,  put  in  1)  oz.  of  saltpetre,  fill  wit 
water,  and  plug  up  close.  During  the  following  spring  put  in  the  same 
hole  half  a  gill  of  kerosene  oil,  and  then  light.  The  stump  will  smoulder 
away,  without  blazing,  down  to  every'  part  of  the  roots.  [So  says  the 
“  Farmers’  Gazette.”  The  critical  Y.  L.  says  “perhaps”  in  both  cases, 
but  in  the  last  cannot  see  room  for  the  “gill  of  oil  ’  when  the  hole  is 
filled  with  water  and  plugged  so  that  it  cannot  evaporate.] 
-  Prune  Industry  of  California.— “  The  magnitude  of  the 
Prune  industry  of  California.”  said  a  gentleman  who  is  largely  interested 
in  the  cultivation  of  that  article  in  Pomona  County,  to  a  “  Washington 
Star  ”  reporter,  “is  little  realised  byr  the  people  in  the  Eastern  States.  In 
a  decade  the  growing  of  Prunes  has  gone  forward  in  California  by  leaps  and 
bounds,  and  to-day  25,000,000  dols.  is  invested  in  it — that  is,  in  lands, 
trees,  irrigation  system,  agricultural  tools,  and  packing-houses.  The 
total  production  of  Prunes  gathered  from  trees  throughout  the  lower 
part  of  San  Joaquin  Valley  and  the  horticultural  valleys  of  Pomona, 
San  Gabriel,  and  Santa  Ana  will  amount  to  about  84,000  tons  this  year. 
Of  this  quantity  nearly  one-fifth  would  be  shipped  East  as  green  Iruit, 
for  sale  at  fruit  stands,  and  for  canning  purposes  ;  the  remaining  four- 
fifths  dried  for  market,  making  about  24,000  tons  of  dried  Prunes. 
Twelve  thousand  acres  of  Prune  orchards  were  set  out  in  the  winter  of 
1891-92,  and  24,000  acres  more  were  planted  in  the  next  two  years. 
These  orchards  have  now  come  into  bearing,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
there  are  55,000  acres  of  bearing  Prune  orchards  in  California  to-day, 
and  about  10,000  acres  more  to  come  into  bearing  within  the  next  year  or 
two.  Conservative  estimates  put  the  total  crop  of  California  Prunes  in  a 
avourable  year  at  not  less  than  90,000  tons.  In  a  few  years  more  a  full 
yield  of  the  fruit  in  this  State  will  be  more  than  100,040  tons.” 
