.290 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Octolev  5,  H99. 
Recent  Weather  in  London.— The  drought  of  summer  has  gone, 
and  we  are  ge'.ting  ample  early  autumn  rains.  On  Saturday  afternoon 
and  evening  rain  fell  in  torrents,  while  Sunday  could  not  bo  termed  other 
than  a  wet  day,  the  same  conditions  prevailing  until  midday  on  Monday. 
After  this  it  was  dull,  with  fine  rain  at  intervals.  On  Tuesday  it  was  a 
bright  pleasant  day,  but  Wednesday  was  cold,  and  a  drizzling  rain  fell 
the  whole  morning. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society. — The  next  Fruit  and  Ploral 
Meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday, 
October  ICth,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster,  1  to  5  r.M,  At 
three  o'clock  a  lecture  on  “  The  Injurious  Scale  Insects  of  the  British 
Isles'’  will  bo  given  by  Mr.  Robert  Newstead,  F.E.S. 
-  Gardening  Appointments.— Mr.  A.  Jc {Pries,  formerly  of 
Hatherop  Castle  and  Warren  House,  and  for  the  past  five  years  foreman 
at  King’s  Walden  Bury,  near  Hitchin,  Herts,  has  been  appointed  head 
gardener  to  John  Balfour,  Esq.,  Moor  Hall,  Harlow,  Essex.  Mr.  II.  E. 
Kennedy  has  been  appointed  (through  Messrs.  Dicksons,  Limited, 
Chester),  1  ead  gardener  to  D.  Richards,  Esq,,  The  Salacrcs,  Upton,  near 
Birkenhead. 
-  Death  of  Mr.  Alfred  Henderson. — We  regret  to  learn 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  A.  Henderson,  eldest  son  of  the  lute  Peter  Henderson, 
on  September  5th,  aged  forty-seven  years.  In  1887  Charles,  the 
younger  son  of  Mr.  P.  Henderson,  was  admitted  to  the  partnership  in 
the  great  New  York  form  of  Peter  Henderson  &  Co.  On  the  death 
of  Mr.  P.  Henderson,  in  1890,  the  business  was  incorporated,  an 
interest  being  given  to  somo  old  employes  in  charge  of  departments.  Tho 
deceased,  who  was  an  excellent  man  of  business,  has  been  head  of  the 
firm  for  many  years. 
-  Banquet  to  Lieut.-Col.  W.  and  Mr.  E.  Webb.  —  On 
a  recent  occasion  these  gentlemen  were  entertained  at  a  banquet  in 
the  Talbot  Assembly  Room,  Stourbridge,  under  thp  presidency  of  Sir  II. 
Eoley  Lambert,  Bart.  Though  to  our  readers  these  g  ntlemen  are  best 
known  as  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  E.  'Webb  &  Sons,  Wordsley  and  Kicver. 
they  are  known  in  Worcestershire,  and  especially  in  tho  neighbourhood 
of  Stourbridge,  as  being  ever  desirous  of  promoting  and  encouraging  the 
best  interests  of  tho  community.  There  was  a  large  and  most 
influential  company,  and  an  enjoyable  evening  was  passed. 
-  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Association— Autumn 
Session,  1899-1900. — Wednesday,  11th  October,  Mr.  Fletcher,  gardener 
to  Col.  Halford  Thompson,  J.P.,  “Dahlias.”  Wednesday,  25th  October, 
Mr.  G.  Stiles,  gardener  at  The  Grove,  Toignmouth,  “A  Practical  Lesson 
on  Dressing  Chrysanthemum  Bloom*  for  tho  Exhibition  Table.” 
Wednesday,  8th  November,  Mr.  W.  Charley,  Wonford  House  Gardens, 
“Garden  Walks  and  Drives.”  Wednesday,  22nd  November,  Mr 
W.  Mackay,  Roy d  Nurseries,  “Cut  Flowers  and  their  Arrangement.’* 
Wednesday,  Gib  Decomber,  Mr.  J.  Reynolds,  gardener  to  Sir  Charles 
D.  Cavo,  Bart.,  Sidbury  Manor,  “Winter  Flowering  Plants  —  the 
Cyclamen,  the  Captation,  and  the  Euphorbia,”  Wednesday, 
20th  December,  Mr.  F.  W.  E.  Shrivel!,  F.LS.,  Thompson’s  Farm,’ 
Tonbridge,  Kent,  “Further  Experiments  with  Chemical  Manures  in 
Kitchen  and  Market  Gardening.” 
-  Motor  Car  Accidents -the  Late  Mr.  W.  Picksley.— A 
copy  of  the  Essex  “  County  Chronicle  ’  has  been  sent  to  us  containing  a 
report  of  the  inquest  on  the  gardener  whose  death  we  announced  last 
week.  It  appears  the  driver  of  the  motor  car  had  stopped  when  the 
accident  occurred,  and  he  rendered  all  the  assistance  he  could  to  the 
terribly  injured  man.  The  verdict  was  “accidental  death,”  tho  jury 
adding  a  rider  “  that  the  earnest  attention  of  the  authorities  be  drawn  to 
the  many  serious  accidents  which  have  recenily  occurred  through  motor 
cars  ;  and  not  before  time,  as  the  county  paper  mentioned  reports  no 
less  than  six  accidents  of  a  more  or  less  serious  nature  occurring  within 
a  week  in  or  around  Chelmsford  by  the  motors,  with  which  the  district 
appears  to  be  infested.  Tho  coffin  of  Mr.  Picksley  was  covered  with 
beautiful  wreaths  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  and  other  sympathising 
friends,  and  borne  to  the  grave  by  gardeners,  and  the  widow  is  taken  into 
the  home  of  the  family  w  hom  her  husband  served  so  faithfully  and  well. 
• -  Death  of  Mr.  James  Martin.— It  is  with  the  deepest  regret 
that  we  have  to  record  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Jas.  Martin  of  Messrs. 
Sutton  &  Sons,  Reading.  He  passed  away  after  a  few  hours'  illness 
during  the  early  hours  of  Wednesday,  September  25th.  To  everyone 
the  announcement  came  with  most  painful  surprise.  Few  men  in  horti¬ 
culture  were  more  widely  known,  certainly  few  could  have  had  more 
friends.  Everybody  liked  him  and  admired  that  geniality  of  character 
and  intensity  of  purpose  which  always  marked  him.  How  many 
hundreds,  nay  even  thousands,  accustomed  to  visit  the  Reading  Nursery 
will  miss  him  ?  They  will  look  for  him  in  vain.  That  marvellous 
fund  of  knowledge  which  he  possessed  will  no  more  be  poured  out  by 
him  so  eloquently  as  if  it  were  a  running  fountain.  “  The  trumpet’s  silver 
sound  is  still,  The  warder’s  silent  on  the  hill.”  Surely  over  his  last 
resting  place  it  would  be  just  to  inscribe,  “  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant.” 
-  Harvesting  Onions.— When  on  a  recent  visit  to  one  of  the 
best  kept  vegetable  and  fruit  gardens  in  the  south  of  the  “Land  o’  Cakes” 
(near  Selkirk),  I  particularly  noted  a  large  crop  of  fine  spring  Onions 
collected  closely  together,  and  covered  with  several  spare  glass  lights 
from  the  frame  yard.  These  were  supported  on  a  framework  of  stakes 
and  raftering  about  a  foot  high,  over  the  Onions,  to  preserve  them  from 
rain  during  the  maturing  process  prior  to  storing.  Alongside  wao  a  fair 
bed  of  large  autumn  sown  “  winter”  Onions  not  fully  matured,  their  tops 
being  still  green.  —  IIarborne. 
- A  Novel  Edging.— Apropos  of  Mr.  George  Paxton’s  reference 
to  the  Oak  garden  walk  edging  at  Eaton  Hall  (page  265),  it  may  be 
interesting  to  remark  that  at  Ettington  Park,  Statford-on-Avon,  in  what 
was  called  the  “old  flower  garden,”  there  were  two  circular  beds  edged 
with  clipped  Oak  plants,  kept  about  12  inches  high,  and  which,  owing  to 
the  summer  shearing,  the  foliage  was  retained  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  winter.  If  my  memory  serves  me  rightly,  the  species  was  Quercus 
sessiliflora.  The  beds  in  question  were  connected  by  an  intermediate  one 
edged  with  the  common  Irish  Ivy,  kept  trimmed  at  about  6  inches  high. 
It  is  upwards  of  thirty  years  since  I  first  saw  them,  and  they  had,  I 
believe,  been  planted  at  least  thirty  years  previously.  Their  comparatively 
small,  stunted  stems  and  branches — of  course  rendered  so  from  ttc 
restricted  growth — were  suggestive  of  those  Japanese  centenarian  trees 
grown  in  vases. — W.  G. 
-  Bristol  Gardeners’  Association. — The  monthly  meeting 
of  the  Society  was  held  on  Thursday  last,  at  St.  John’s  Parish  Room, 
Redland,  Mr.  C.  Lock  presiding  over  a  good  attendance.  The  subject 
for  the  discussion  was  salads,  and  it  wras  opened  in  a  thoughtful  and 
interesting  manner  by  Mr.  E.  Binficld,  gardener  to  Francis  Tagart,  Esq., 
Old  Sneed  Park.  The  aim  of  the  paper  wras  to  show  how  a  supply  of 
the  principal  salads  could  bo  maintained  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year.  To  this  end  Mr.  Binfield  dealt  with  the  culture  of  Lettuce, 
Endive,  Beet,  Celery,  and  Cucumbers.  lie  gave  in  each  case  his  opinion 
as  to  the  times  most  suitable  for  sowing  to  obtain  a  succession  of  crops, 
the  soil  best  fitted  for  the  several  varieties,  method  of  after  culture,  and 
the  insects  to  which  they  were  mo3t  liable.  The  paper,  which  was  full 
of  useful  information  on  the  important  subject,  wras  much  appreciated, 
aud  at  the  close  Mr.  Binfield  was  heartily  thanked.  A  short  discussion, 
chiefly  on  the  culturo  of  Beet,  and  the  best  means  to  clear  the  Celery 
fly,  followed  the  paper.  Certificates  of  merit  were  awarded  Mr.  Shaddiek 
for  a  dish  of  fine  Peaches  ;  Mr.  White  for  a  Pitcher  plant,  and  Mr. 
McCullock  for  a  specimen  of  Odontoglossum  grande. 
-  Hampstead  Green. — The  Tree  and  Open  Spaces  Committee 
of  the  Hampstead  Vestry  have  issued  a  report  stating  that  they  have 
carefully  considered  a  letter  from  Sir  Henry  Ilarbcn,  the  Chairman, 
intimating  that  upon  his  recommendation  a  lady  had  bought  for  £7500 
the  Hampstead  Green  property  recently  put  up  to  auction  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  enabling  the  Vestry  to  make  up  their  minds  what  they  will 
do  with  regard  to  the  green  or  paddock  in  front  of  the  houses  standing 
on  the  property,  and  that  if  the  offers  were  sufficient  she  would 
dedicate  the  paddock  to  the  public  in  order  that  it  might  be  preserved 
as  an  open  space  for  ever.  In  the  opinion  of  the  Committee  the 
opportunity  now  afforded  by  the  generous  and  public-spirited  action  of 
the  lady  of  maintaining  the  present  picturesque  and  sylvan  approach 
to  Hampstead  from  London  should  not  be  lost,  and  they  recommend 
that  the  necessary  steps  be  taken  for  the  acquisition  of  the  green  and 
the  ded  cation  thereof  to  tho  public.  It  is  expected  that  the  owners  of 
property  immediately  adjoining  and  facing  the  green  will  subscribe 
towards  the  purchase,  and  the  lady  referred  to,  w'ho  wishes  to  remain 
anonymous,  has  said  that  she  will  herself  make  a  contribution  to  the 
acquisition  of  the  green. 
