November  23,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
451 
-  Gardening  Appointments.— Mr.  C.  W.  Barrett,  who  has 
been  for  the  past  seven  years  head  gardener  to  G.  J.  Fenwick,  Esq.,  of 
Bournemouth,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener  to  C.  E.  A.  George,  Esq., 
Fleet  House,  near  Weymouth.  Mr.  A.  Haynes,  late  general  foreman 
under  Mr.  E.  Gilman  at  Alton  Towers,  as  gardener  to  F.  H.  Cook,  Esq., 
The  Grange,  Walton-on-Thames. 
-  Apple  Nanny  — I  am  very  glad  to  see  so  notable  an  authority 
as  Mr.  E.  Molyneux  taking  up  the  cause  of  the  Nanny  Apple.  With 
his  good  word  it  is  not  likely  to  become  lost  to  cultivators,  and  I  feel  sure 
it  only  needs  to  be  more  extensively  known  or  grown  to  be  more  appre¬ 
ciated,  both  by  private  and  market  growers.  Undoubtedly  Mr.  Molyneux 
is  right  when  he  hints  (see  page  405)  that  it  succeeds  best  with  free  cul¬ 
tivation  and  little  pruning.  I  have,  however,  one  close  pruned  espalier 
tree  of  it  which  generally  fruits  well,  and  the  specimens  are  usually  finer 
and  better  coloured  than  those  from  standard  trees,  but  the  tree  is  old. 
Probably,  to  secure  quick  returns  from  young  trees,  free  and  unrestricted 
growth  is  necessary.  Can  Mr.  Molyneux  tell  us  how  it  answers  on  the 
Paradise  stock? — A.  E„  Devon. 
-  Death  op  Mr.  J.  Eales, — In  opening  the  recent  show  at 
Solihull,  of  which  a  report  appears  on  page  456,  S.  Leitner,  Esq.,  feelingly 
referred  to  the  recent  death,  after  only  a  few  days  illness,  of  Mr.  Josiah 
Eales,  for  nearly  ten  years  gardener  to  the  late  C.  Hoskins,  Esq.  He  was 
highly  respected  by  the  horticultural  fraternity  of  the  neighbourhood, 
and  had  been  looking  forward  with  much  interest  to  the  coming 
exhibition  of  the  Society,  and  of  which  he  was  a  leading  spirit.  His 
employer,  Mrs.  Hoskins,  considerately  allowed  his  exhibits  to  be  shown 
on  the  present  occasion,  but  under  the  cognomen  of  “Anonymous,”  the 
prize  money  to  be  given  to  the  widow  and  child.  It  is  only  just  to 
remark  that  much  credit  was  due  to  Mr.  Eales’s  foreman  for  the  excellent 
manner  in  which  the  exhibits  were  arranged.  The  deceased  took  much 
interest  in  the  cottagers’  gardens  of  the  district,  and  of  which  he  was 
supervisor  under  the  auspices  of  the  County  Council  Horticultural  Depart¬ 
ment. — W.  G. 
-  Bristol  Gardeners’  Association — The  fortnightly  meeting 
of  the  Society  was  held  at  St.  John’s  Parish  Room,  Redland,  on  Thursday 
last,  Mr.  C.  Lock  presiding  over  a  moderate  attendance.  The  subject  for 
the  evening  was  “  The  Management  of  Bees,”  a  paper  being  read  by 
Mr.  Kitley  of  Redland.  With  the  aid  of  a  modern  bar  frame  hive  and 
appliances  he  made  the  subject  very  interesting,  and  showed  how  bees 
could  be  made  not  only  profitable,  but  of  much  help  to  those  interested 
in  horticulture.  He  advised  those  of  his  audience  who  contemplated 
keeping  bees  to  get  at  least  an  elementary  knowledge  of  the  subject 
before  commencing,  and  gave  many  useful  hints  on  manipulating  and  the 
general  management  of  bees.  Mr.  Kitley  was  cordially  thanked  for  his 
lecture.  Prizes  for  three  heads  of  Cauliflower  were  awarded — first,  Mr. 
Taylor ;  second,  Mr.  McCullock  ;  and  a  certificate  of  merit  to  Mr.  W. 
Marsh  for  twelve  Apples  (Cox’s  Orange  Pippin). 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society.— The  opening  meeting  of 
this  Society  for  the  present  session  was  held  on  Wednesday  evening,  the 
15th  inst.,  at  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Mr.  F.  C.  Bayard,  LL.M, 
President,  in  the  chair.  Mr.  R.  H.  Curtis  read  a  paper  on  “  The  Diurnal 
Variation  of  the  Barometer  in  the  British  Isles.”  The  principal  features 
of  a  curve  exhibiting  the  diurnal  march  of  barometrical  pressure  are  two 
minima  and  two  maxima — the  first  minimum  occurring  early  in  the 
morning  and  the  second  in  the  afternoon,  while  the  first  maximum  falls  in 
the  forenoon  and  the  second  not  far  from  ten  o’clock  in  the  evening.  In 
the  tropics  the  oscillation  may  amount  to  as  much  as  a  tenth  of  an  inch, 
but  its  amplitude  decreases  as  the  latitude  increases,  and  the  greatest  ampli¬ 
tude  in  the  British  Isles  amounts  to  not  much  more  than  3-100ths  of  an 
inch.  The  author  discusses  the  mean  hourly  readings  of  the  barometer 
from  twenty-five  years’  observations,  1871-95,  at  four  observatories  main¬ 
tained  by  the  Meteorological  Council — viz.,  Kew,  Aberdeen,  Falmouth, 
and  Valencia.  The  author  is  of  opinion  that  the  primary  cause  of  the 
diurnal  oscillation  of  the  barometer  is  solar  radiation,  and  that  its 
amplitude  is  chiefly  determined  by  the  temperature  of  the  lower  strata  of 
the  atmosphere.  The  relative  magnitudes  of  the  different  phases  of  the 
barometer  oscillation,  as  observed,  depend  largely  upon  the  geographical 
position  and  physical  surroundings  of  the  place  of  observation,  in  so  far 
as  these  are  capable  of  modifying  its  temperature  conditions,  and 
especially  the  relative  distribution  of  temperature  over  the  regions  imme¬ 
diately  surrounding  it.  Mr.  G.  J.  Symons,  F.R.S,  described  some 
experimental  observations  which  he  made  during  the  hot  weather  in 
July  with  two  thermometers  1  foot  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  with 
the  view  of  ascertaining  (1)  the  influence  of  slight  shade,  (2),the  amount 
Of  daily  range,  and  (3)  the  approximate  curve  of  daily  fluctuation. 
-  Shirley  Gardeners’  Association. — The  monthly  meeting 
of  above  Society  took  place  on  Monday  evening,  the  20th  inst.,  at  the 
Parish  Room,  Shirley,  Southampton,  there  being  a  good  attendance  of 
members.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams,  F.R.H.S.,  presided.  There  was  a  good 
exhibition  of  Chrysanthemums,  and,  as  it  was  an  open  night,  an  interest¬ 
ing  and  useful  discussion  was  carried  on  by  the  members  on  the  exhibits. 
Votes  of  thanks  to  the  exhibitors  and  the  Chairman  closed  a  pleasant 
evening. 
-  Notes  from  Ireland. — At  Belleville,  Dublin,  there  is  a  very 
fine  specimen  of  Odontoglossum  grande.  This  is  the  home  of  George 
Drimmie,  Esq.,  whose  plants  are  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Byrne.  The 
Odontoglossum  consists  of  three  plants,  carrying  a  total  of  five  spikes, 
each  of  which  bear,  one  six,  three  four,  and  one  three  blooms  respectively. 
Without  exaggerating,  it  is  the  finest  specimen  in  flower  in  this  locality. 
An  orangery  is  somewhat  of  a  novelty  in  the  metropolis,  and  a  visit  to 
Mr.  J.  Hume  Dudgeon’s  well  appointed  place  at  Merville  is  therefore 
more  than  ordinarily  interesting.  The  plants  are  close  on  6  feet  high  ; 
their  chief  distinction  lies  in  the  size  of  the  fruits  and  the  quantity 
They  are  as  large  as  the  Spanish  Valencias,  yet  they  lack  all  the  qualities 
that  make  them  edible.  Judging  from  the  specimen  Mr.  O’Leary  gave  me, 
they  are  useless  except  for  decorative  work.  In  this  capacity  they  offer 
advantages  rarely  met  with. — A.  O’N. 
-  National  Amateur  Gardeners  (Liverpool  Branch). — 
A  highly  successful  meeting  was  held  on  November  16th,  the  President, 
W.  Histed,  Esq.,  in  the  chair.  Being  Chrysanthemum  night  much  interest 
was  centred  in  the  exhibits,  which  embraced  the  many  styles  to  which 
Chrysanthemnms  adapt  themselves.  First  came  the  good  amateur 
grower,  Mr.  D.  W.  Cangley,  his  twelve  Japanese  and  six  incurved 
blooms  being  models  of  neatness.  Other  classes  for  cut  blooms  were 
nicely  distributed.  The  basket  from  Mrs.  McGregor  was  neatly  arranged, 
as  were  the  singles  from  the  same  lady.  Mr.  Drake,  who  is  rapidly 
making  his  way  as  a  successful  grower  of  Orchids,  staged  two  very  pretty 
sprays,  one  being  a  giant  unnamed  Lycaste.  He  secured  the  special 
prize  for  them.  Mr.  J.  M.  Smyth,  the  busy  Hon.  Secretary,  gave  a  most 
valuable  paper  on  “An  Amateur’s  Greenhouse,”  pointing  out  many 
defects,  and  drawing  some  valuable  lessons  for  the  benefit  of  members. 
Votes  of  thanks  were  heartily  passed. — R»  P.  R. 
-  London’s  Open  Spaces. — At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Metro¬ 
politan  Public  Gardens  Association,  83,  Lancaster  Gate,  W.,  it  was 
stated  that  the  Association  had  commenced  the  laying-out  of  the  church¬ 
yard  of  St.  Mary’s,  Plaistow,  and  that  the  faculty  having  been  granted 
for  Christ  Church,  Blackfriars,  this  ground  would  shortly  be  taken  in 
hand.  A  letter  was  read  from  the  New  River  Company  declining  to 
allow  the  Association  to  deal  with  the  enclosure  in  Percy  Circus  as  a 
public  garden,  but  stating  that  steps  were  being  taken  to  rescue  the 
ground  from  its  neglected  condition.  It  was  agreed  to  support  schemes 
for  the  acquisition  of  Albert  Sqnare,  E.,  as  a  public  garden,  for  the 
extension  of  Brockwell  Park,  and  for  the  conversion  of  the  Latchmere 
Allotments,  Battersea,  into  a  public  recreation  ground.  It  was  announced 
that  the  Acton  District  Council  had  accepted  the  Association’s  offer  of 
seats  for  a  site  near  the  parish  church,  and  it  was  decided  to  offer  to 
plant  trees  in  various  thoroughfares  in  Paddington  and  elsewhere,  and  in 
St.  John’s  Churchyard,  Westminster. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS  AT  CHISWICK. 
—Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
o 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1899. 
November. 
ection 
W  ind. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
Bain. 
At 
At 
At 
Jh  r 
3 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest 
Lowest. 
1-ft. 
deep. 
2- ft. 
deep. 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Sunday  ..12 
# 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
vv.s.w. 
47.8 
43-8 
53-1 
39-5 
_ 
48-5 
51-4 
52'9 
37-9 
Monday .  .13 
8.  w. 
44-9 
44-5 
54-8 
37-0 
_ 
47-5 
60-9 
62-8 
28-4 
Tuesday  14 
s.w. 
487 
46-0 
63-3 
39-5 
_ 
46-9 
50-3 
52-7 
28-7 
VVed’sday  15 
8.  E. 
38-0 
37-8 
50-3 
34  T 
_ 
46-2 
49-8 
52-5 
26-9 
Thursday  16 
N.E. 
45-7 
43-2 
49-7 
37-9 
_ 
46-9 
49-6 
52'2 
30-9 
Friday  ..17 
S.S.E. 
42'0 
41-3 
47-2 
36-9 
__ 
46-2 
49-3 
62T 
27  3 
Saturday  18 
S.E. 
36-2 
35-7 
46  T 
30-5 
— 
45-1 
49T 
61-8 
22-6 
Means  .. 
433 
41-8 
50-6 
36-6 
Total 
46-8 
60-0 
52-4 
29-0 
The  weather  has  been  dull  and  cold  with  a  dense  smoky  fog  on  th  e 
15th  and  16th. 
