September  21,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
243 
Recent  Weather  in  London. — On  Saturday  last  there  were 
several  heavy  showers  with  local  thunder.  Sunday  proved  to  be  a  fine 
and  pleasant  day,  though  cool  in  the  evening.  Monday  again  was 
showery,  but  Tuesday  was  dry  and  fresh  until  night,  when  rain  fell  heavily. 
At  the  time  of  going  to  press  on  Wednesday  it  was  bright  and  cold. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society.— The  next  Fruit  and  Floral 
meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday, 
September  26th,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster,  1  to  5  P.M* 
At  three  o’clock  a  lecture  on  “Instructional  Fruit  Stations”  will  be 
given  by  Mr.  E.  Luckhurst,  F.R.II.S. 
-  Crystal  Palace  Fruit  Show.— The  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  will  next  Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday,  September  28th,  29th, 
and  30tb,  hold  its  great  annual  Show  of  British  grown  fruit  in  the 
Crystal  Palace,  and  everyone  i9  hoping  for  a  brilliant  display  that,  will 
worthily  uphold  past  traditions.  The  170  classes  embodied  in  the  schedule 
comprise  all  phases  of  fruit  culture,  and  afford  opportunities  for  every 
grower  to  contribute.  It  should  be  particularly  noted  by  all  readers  that 
the  Committees  of  the  Society' will  not  sit  at  this  Show.  All  fruits  for  certificate 
must  be  exhibitei  at  one  of  the  fortnightly  meetings  at  the  Drill  Hall, 
James  Street,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster.  The  notice  on  page  3  of 
the  schedule  will  be  strictly  carried  out.  It  runs  thus  :  “All  fruit  should 
bear  its  natural  ‘bloom’;  any  polishing  process  disqualifies.'’  Fellows  of 
the  Society  will  be  admitted  to  the  Crystal  Palace  on  presenting  their 
tickets, 
-  Nympha2A  stellata  in  Ireland. — One  is  not  surprised 
to  hear  from  Mr.  Black  that  Nymphaoa  stellata,  which  has  lately  bloomed 
at  Carton  in  the  open  air,  with  nothing  but  the  solar  heat  to  bring  it  into 
flower,  has  been  much  liked  by  everyone  who  has  seen  it.  So  far  as  I 
am  aware,  this  Water  Lily  has  not  before  been  bloomed  in  the  United 
Kingdom  without  the  use  of  hot-water  piping,  either  under  glass  or  out 
of  doors.  With  the  charming  form  known  as  the  “  Berlin  variety  ”  it 
has  been  much  admired  by  those  who  have  seen  it  in  glass  structures. 
That  it  has  bloomed  without  artificial  heat  in  the  Duke  of  Leinster’s 
garden  near  Maynooth  ought  to  give  encouragement  to  those  in  warm 
localities  to  attempt  its  cultivation,  even  if  it  should  have  to  be  kept 
under  glass  in  winter.  Associated  with  the  new  hybrids  of  M.  Latour- 
Marliac  and  other  raisers,  its  blue  flowers  will  be  much  appreciated. 
— S.  Arnott. 
-  Presentation  to  Mr.  M.  Webster  at  Beckenham.— On 
Friday  last  the  Committee  and  some  of  those  who  have  been  accustomed 
to  use  the  library  and  reading  room  of  the  Beckenham  Horticultural 
Society  met  to  present  one  of  the  members  with  a  token  of  their  good¬ 
will  for  his  approaching  marriage.  Since  the  re-formation  of  the 
Society  in  1892  one  of  its  most  active  members  has  been  Mr.  Mark 
Webster.  As  an  exhibitor  from  the  gardens  of  E.  J.  Preston,  Esq.,  at 
Kelsey  Park,  his  success  has  been  frequently  recorded,  and  as  a  member 
of  the  Committee  his  assistance  has  been  invaluable  ;  but  it  is  in  the 
capacity  of  Hon.  Librarian  his  connection  has  been  of  such  worth  that 
he  was  the  recipient  of  the  testimonial.  The  present  took  the  form  of 
two  easy  chairs  of  dark  mahogany,  and  a  bronze  medal  of  the  Society 
with  a  suitable  inscription  is  placed  in  the  back  of  one  of  them  and 
made  to  turn  on  pivots,  so  that  both  reverse  and  obverse  may  be 
inspected. 
-  Pedigree  Irish  Bulls. — The  “Irish  Gardener ”  says  :  “It 
is  sad  to  think  that  Mr.  F.  W.  Moore’s  delt  hand  should  be  ‘  coatless  and 
hatless’  while  engaged  in  the  work  of  putting  the  last  dainty  touches  to 
the  grand  group  of  plants  from  Glasnevin  Botanic  Gardens,  as  described 
by  the  Dublin  correspondent  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  in  his  report  of 
the  recent  flower  show  in  Merrion  Square  ;  but  as  the  gentleman  referred 
to  is  reported  as  looking  ‘  hot  and  happy,’  possibly  his  hand  did  not  need 
the  protection  of  either  coat  or  hat.  This  is  certainly  the  choicest  bit  of 
metaphor  we  have  read  for  some  time,  and  we  congratulate  the  writer  on 
his  success  in  ‘  putting  down  his  foot  with  a  heavy  band.’  ” 
Such  a  highly  bred  bull  was  well  worth  preserving, 
And  he  who  has  found  it,  is  surely  deserving 
Of  thanks,  here  conveyed,  f<  r  faith,  on  my  word, 
This  bull  is  as  good  as  Sir  Boyle  Roche’s  bird.— Paddy". 
-  Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  J.  Foster,  for  the  past  seven 
years  gardener  to  Captain  Gassiot,  Hampton  Lodge,  Seale,  Surrey,  has 
been  appointed  head  gardener  to  F.  Lassetter,  Esq.,  Ileverswood,  Brasted, 
Kent. 
-  Death  of  Dr.  S.  P.  Budd. — It  is  with  regret  that  wo  learn 
the  death,  on  the  11th  inst.,  of  this  well-known  Bath  phy  sician.  Ilorti- 
culturally  the  deceased  was  known  as  one  of  the  foremo.-.t  amateur  Rose 
growers  in  the  country. 
-  Cutting  Back  Parsley. — There  are  times  when  it  i9  not 
wise  ro  depend  upon  any  one  sowing  or  planting  of  Parsley,  and  though 
the  winter  plants  may  bo  looking  well,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  run  the  garden 
shears  over  a  few  strong  plants  or  a  row  now.  The  result  will  be  a  hardy 
strong  growth,  which  is  sure  to  be  useful  in  early  winter,  the  real  winter 
crop  being  saved  for  protecting  later,  and  providing  spring  gatherings. 
No  crop  is  more  acceptable  to  cooks  than  a  sufficiency  of  Parsley  all  ihe 
year  round,  and  it  always  pays  a  gardener  to  avoid  friction  in  this 
department  if  possible. — II.  C.  II. 
-  Beet  Cheltenham  Green  Top, — This  is  one  of  the  nicest 
flavoured  and  best  coloured  Beets  in  cultivation,  and  is  worthy  a  place  in 
all  gardens.  Too  many  varieties  are,  as  far  as  flavour  is  concerned > 
little  better  than  Mangold,  but  this  is  excellent  if  properly  cooked.  Again, 
many  good  sorts  are  spoiled  by  being  sown  early  in  rich  soil,  when 
they  grow  to  immense  sizes  and  quite  out  of  their  true  character.  I 
saw  some  very  good  breadths  of  this  Beet  with  Mr.  J.  C.  Tallack  at 
Shipley  Hall  recently,  and  it  is  I  believe  a  great  favourite  of  his. 
Certainly  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  better  one. — R.  R. 
-  The  First  Snow. — The  soft  white  messengers  of  winter  are 
upon  us  before  we  have  had  time  to  recover  from  the  sultry  breath 
of  a  prolonged  summer.  A  shower  of  snow  fell  on  Monday  afternoon  on 
the  Yorkshire  Welds,  at  Driffield.  In  the  evening  the  weather  was 
bright,  clear,  and  very  cold,  The  Grampians  are  not  likely  to  bo  behind 
Yorkshire  in  welcoming  the  Snow  King.  (On  Monday,  for  the  first 
time,  their  higher  peaks  were  fringed  with  white.  At  Montrose  a  great 
gale  blew  down  the  circus  tent  of  Barnum  &  Bailey’s  show,  and 
played  some  other  fantastic  freaks.  The  north-east  of  Scotland  is  now, 
Bays  a  daily  contemporary,  given  over  to  a  keen  and  nipping  air. 
-  Purple  Nuts. — The  Purple  Filbert  is  a  u-eful  plant  for 
shrubberies  where  the  pretty  coppery'  tint  is  effective  in  summer  and 
early  autumn.  The  plant  is  cheap  and  fairly'  easily  propagated  either 
by  sucker-like  shoots  that  spring  from  the  base  of  the  old  stools,  or  from 
seeds.  But  the  latter  method,  though  usually  resulting  in  a  fair 
percentage  of  well  coloured  plants,  is  not  wholly  to  be  depended  upon,  as 
sometimes  the  seedlings  have  green,  or  poorly  coloured  foliage.  The 
r.uts  are  extremely  pretty  with  their  deep  scarlet  husk  and  purplish 
shell,  the  flesh  of  the  kernel  being  white  with  a  rosy  pink  skin,  and  of 
escellent  flavour.  It  is  certainly  worth  planting  for  its  fruit  alone,  and 
will  thrive  on  any  soil. — B.  S.  E. 
-  The  Logan  Berry'. — A  writer  in  the  “New  York  Tribune” 
praises  the  Logan  berry  highly.  It  is  called  a  Blackberry,  but  is  claimed 
to  be  a  cross  between  the  wild  Blackberry  and  the  Red  Antwerp 
Raspberry,  combining  the  desirable  qualities  of  both.  It  originated  in 
California  some  ten  years  ago.  The  flavour  of  the  fruit  is  unique,  and 
unlike  that  of  any  other  variety.  It  is  very  hardy  and  prolific,  and 
fruit  bears  transportation  well.  The  canes  are  strong  and  of  low  growth, 
and  are  destitute  of  thorns,  so  that  hands  and  clothing  are  not  torn  in 
picking  the  fruit.  It  is  as  excellent  for  preserving  as  for  table  use, 
all  of  which  and  much  more  the  correspondent  takes  a  column  to  tell. — 
(“American  Cultivator.’’) 
-  Fig  Brown  Turkey'. — There  is  no  better  general  purpose 
variety  than  this,  tor  it  is  equally  good  for  early  or  late  forcing,  for 
growing  in  pots,  or  even  in  favoured  localities  outside.  Like  many  other 
kinds  of  fruit  this  varies,  seine  forms  of  it  being  very  much  superior 
to  others,  but  a  really  well  ripened  Brown  Turkey  Fig  is  difficult 
indeed  to  beat.  Day  after  day  one  comes  across  instances  of  Figs  being 
planted  in  light,  rich,  and  loose  borders,  in  spite  of  what  has  been  written 
over  and  over  again  as  to  the  futility  of  such  a  course.  Quite  recently 
[  was  asked  the  reason  why  a  house  planted  some  four  years  ago  was 
unsatisfactory.  Apparently  the  trees  in  the  first  year  looked  out  at  the 
top  ventilators,  for  there  is  simply  a  mass  of  long  shoots,  which  stopping 
only  seems  to  encourage.  The  true  fact  of  the  matter  was  th.it  their  root 
run  was  almost  unlimited,  and  very  rich,  consequently  Figs  may  be 
looked  for  in  vain.  Brown  Turkey'  is  no  better  than  others  in  this 
respect  perhaps,  but  it  certainly  fruits  with  greater  regularity  thaz 
almost  any  other. — H. 
