496 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  7,  1>99. 
Recent  Weather  in  London. — During  the  past  few  days  the 
weather  in  the  metropolis  has  changed  materially.  On  Sunday  morning 
there  was  a  sharp  frost,  accompanied  by  a  heavy  fog,  which  lasted  almost 
the  whole  of  the  day.  On  Monday  morning  early  a  few  drops  of  rain 
fell,  and  in  the  evening  again  it  rained  heavily  for  some  time.  Tuesday 
was  a  thoroughly  wet  and  unpleasant  day,  as  was  Wednesday  up  to  the 
moment  of  going  to  press. 
-  Birthday  of  Dean  Hole. — On  Wednesday  Dean  Hole,  of 
Rochester,  celebrated  his  eightieth  birthday,  though  the  venerable 
octogenarian,  with  his  fine  physique  and  courtly  bearing,  might  with 
reason  be  taken  for  not  over  threescore  and  ten.  "The  Dean  has  assuredly 
more  than  the  average  vigour  of  body  pertaining  to  the  latter  term  of 
years,  and  his  friends  declare  that  there  is  yet  ten  years’  work  before 
him.  It  is  many  years  since  his  once  widely-known  book,  “A  Little 
Tour  in  Ireland,”  illustrated  by  John  Leech,  was  first  published.  “A 
Book  about  Roses,”  one  of  his  earliest  works,  is  in  its  fifteenth  edition, 
and  “  Our  Garden,”  issued  early  this  year,  is  now  well  on  in  its  fifth 
thousand.  It  is  just  possible  that  we  may  get  a  third  volume  of 
Memories  from  the  genial  ecclesiastic,  whose  first  curacy  dates  as  far 
back  as  1844, 
-  Open  Air  Grapes. — If  Reine  Olga  Grape,  as  shown  by  Mr. 
Will  Tayler,  of  Hampton,  be  as  easy  to  grow  on  open  walls  as  the  Sweet¬ 
water  or  Royal  Muscadine,  then  should  it  present  one  of  the  very  best 
modern  Grapes  for  outdoor  culture.  But  we  have  recently  had  some  of 
the  finest  seasons  for  outdoor  Grape  production  ever  known,  yet  generally 
during  the  past  most  favourable  one,  outdoor  Grapes  were  not  good. 
If  Mr.  Tayler’s  Grape  is  good  always,  then,  in  spite  of  its  red  colour,  it 
should  be  a  most  valuable  one  to  plant  for  outdoor  cropping.  No  man 
ever  tried  outdoor  Grape  culture  more  fully  than  did  Clement  Hoare 
at  Shirley,  on  me  sunny  slopes  of  what  was  known  as  Hoare’s 
Hill.  I  went  to  school  for  some  time  on  the  northern  hill  of  the  valley, 
and  knew  him  and  his  place  and  work  well.  But  it  all  ended  in  failure, 
because  English  seasons  are  so  treacherous.  Certainly  we  may  have  now 
some  hardier  Grape  than]  he  had,  but  they  are  not  too  well  known. — 
Wanderer. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  Ireland.  —  The 
Council  of  the  above  Society  held  its  usual  monthly  meeting  at 
61,  Dawson  Street,  on  Tuesday  last,  the  28th.  The  chair  was  occupied 
by  Greenwood  Pim,  Esq.  The  Secretary,  Mr.  W.  H.  Hillyard,  submitted 
a  report  of  the  winter  Chrysanthemum  show,  which  showed  a  decided 
falling  off  of  the  receipts  due  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  ;  also 
accounts  were  up  for  payment,  the  total  of  which  amounted  to  £242  ; 
they  were  adopted,  and  cheques  were  ordered  to  be  drawn.  The  Secretary 
announced  that  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Iveagh  had  forwarded  a  cheque  for 
£10  towards  next  year’s  prize  money,  for  which  the  thanks  of  the  Society 
were  accorded.  A  gold  medal  was  ordered  to  be  given  to  Messrs.  Ramsay 
and  Sons,  Ballsbridge,  for  their  meritorious  display  of  foliage  and  flower¬ 
ing  plants,  likewise  a  collection  of  floral  designs,  at  the  Chrysanthemum 
display.  The  usual  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  will  be  held  in  the 
Central  Lecture  Hall,  Westmoreland  Street,  on  Tnesday  the  19th. 
—A.  O’N. 
-  Bristol  Gardeners’  Association. — The  fortnightly  meeting 
was  held  on  Thursday,  November  30th,  at  St.  John’s  Parish  Room, 
Redland,  Mr.  Lock  presiding  over  a  large  attendance.  “  Hardy  Print” 
was  the  subject  for  discussion,  introduced  by  Mr.  Hockey,  of  Yatton. 
He  stated  that  the  cultivation  of  fruit  was  becoming  more  popular  each 
year,  though  to  enable  British  cultivators  to  successfully  meet  foreign 
competition  our  land  laws  required  alteration.  Dealing  with  the  subject  in 
detail,  he  gave  clear  instructions  as  to  the  soil  and  situation  best  suited 
to  fruit  culture,  method  of  planting,  pruning,  and  pests  to  which  fruit 
trees  were  most  liable.  The  directions  given  referred  to  the  culture 
of  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  Currants,  Gooseberries,  Straw¬ 
berries,  and  Raspberries.  Mr.  Hockey  was  heartily  thanked  for  his 
lecture.  A  good  discussion  followed.  Prizes  for  Potatoes  (two  dishes) 
were  awarded  Messrs.  Taylor  and  Ross.  Certificates  of  merit  to  Mr. 
Taylor  for  six  well-grown  Poinsettias,  and  to  Mr.  Clark  for  a  plant  of 
Adiantum  cuneatum. 
-  Retirement  of  Mr.  W.  Whittaker. — We  learn  that  Mr. 
W.  Whittaker,  who  has  for  many  years  had  charge  of  the  gardens  at 
Crewe  Hall,  Crewe,  will  retire  at  the  end  of  the  year.  The  very  pro¬ 
tracted  period  during  which  this  well-known  gardener  has  laboured  is 
sufficient  warrant  for  a  thoroughly  well-earned  rest  to  be  now  taken. 
-  Death  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Protheroe.— It  is  with  profound 
regret  that  we  have  to  place  on  record  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  W.  II. 
Protheroe,  who,  as  a  senior  member  of  the  great  auctioneering  firm  of 
Messrs.  Protheroe  &  Morris,  of  Cheapside,  was  widely  known  and 
universally  esteemed  and  respected.  Though  the  deceased  has  not 
of  late  years  enjoyed  the  best  of  health,  the  end  during  the 
early  hours  of  Saturday  morning  came  with  painful  suddenness. 
By  his  quiet  unobtrusiveness  Mr.  Protheroe  gained  the  respect 
of  all  horticulturists,  by  whom  he  was  recognised  as  the  foremost 
auctioneer.  Not  only  was  he  a  salesman  but  he  was  also  an  orchidist  of 
no  mean  repute,  as  his  seat  on  the  Orchid  Committee  amply  testifies. 
The  deceased  was  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  his  loss  will 
be  felt  throughout  the  United  Kingdom  and  in  those  portions  of  the 
Continent  to  which  he  had  been  a  visitor. 
- -  Quince  Jelly. — Our  versatile  friend  Mr.  A.  Pearson  waxes 
eloquent  over  Medial  jelly,  which  he  thinks  equal  to  Guava  jelly.  My 
first  acquaintance  with  this  latter  delicious  product  wa3  made  when  store¬ 
keeping  on  board  the  old  R.M.S.  Magdalena  when  voyaging  to  the  West 
Indies  in  1853,  and  I  well  remember  its  delightful  quality.  But  a  year 
or  two  prior  to  that  I  had  tasted  Quince  jelly  made  by  an  experienced 
cook,  one  that  seemed  to  me  to  have  been  a  product  of  the  garden  and 
kitchen  combined,  that  has  never  been  excelled  for  deliciousness  by  any 
soTt  of  fruit.  How  is  it  that  we  never  hear  of  Quince  preserve?  Have 
cooks  forgotten  howr  to  make  it  ?  or  is  this  fine  and  ornamental  fruit  so 
little  grown,  that  its  preserve  has  become  a  select  luxury  ?  I  should  like 
to  see  Quince,  Medlar,  and  Apple  jellies  set  before  the  Drill  Hall  Com¬ 
mittee  for  testing  as  to  which  furnishes  the  richest  flavoured  preserve. — D, 
-  Insect  Pests  in  1899. — On  page  450  -‘A.  D.”  puts  forth 
what  sounds  something  like  a  new  theory  in  regard  to  the  effects  of 
mild  winters  on  insect  pests  which  requires  a  little  consideration.  He 
speaks  of  Apple  caterpillars  having  given  little  trouble,  but  here,  I 
think,  your  correspondent  must  have  been  more  fortunate  than  many 
of  us,  for  in  Kent  the  grub  of  the  codlin  moth  has  been  most  prolific, 
and  several  growers  have  informed  me  that  they  never  remember  more 
Apples  falling  through  being  eaten  by  this  pest.  Again,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  summer,  Plums  and  Damsons  were  badly  infested  with 
aphis,  to  which  may  be  largely  attributed  the  failure  of  the  latter  crop. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether,  under  the  name  of  Cabbage 
beetle,  “  A.  D.”  also  includes  the  Turnip  flea,  because  everyone  knows 
the  havoc  that  has  been  caused  by  this  pest,  and  what  a  difficult  matter 
it  was  during  the  summer  to  bring  Turnips  to  anything  like  perfection  on 
account  of  it. — G. 
-  Potatoes  at  Birmingham. — I  was  much  interested  to  read 
the  brief  report  in  the  last  issue  of  the  Journal  of  the  Potatoes  shown  at 
the  Bingley  Hall  Exhibition  last  month.  It  is  pleasant  to  find  that  the 
Potato  classes  are  there  so  well  kept  up  I  have  not  seen  one  of  these 
shows  for  many  years,  but  I  did  some  time  since  occasionally  accompany 
the  former  Secretary  to  the  International  Potato  Show  Committee,  Mr. 
P.  McKinley,  to  Birmingham,  when  he  was  exhibiting  there  with  varied 
degrees  of  fortune.  Then  his  chief  antagonist  was  the  Duke  of  Port¬ 
land’s  steward  ;  and  Welbeck,  I  notice,  still  furnishes  some  exhibits.  But 
the  Potato  classes  were  at  Bingley  Hall  always  very  popular,  and  no 
doubt  still  continue  to  be.  Mention  of  two  Potatoes  in  the  report 
attracted  my  attention.  My  own  production  The  Dean  occupies  in  it  a 
prominent  place,  and  it  is  still  the  finest  and  best  of  all  the  purple  skinned 
Potatoes  in  commerce.  It  was  raised  fully  twenty  years — possibly 
much  longer — by  crossing  the  then  popular  Yicar  of  Laleham  with 
pollen  from  Woodstock  Kidney,  with  the  result  that  some  of  the  best 
Potatoes  yet  seen  were  produced  by  it.  When  some  years  ago  samples 
of  many  varieties  were  subjected  to  the  desiccating  process,  The  Dean 
gave  more  solid  starchy  matter  than  did  any  other  variety.  The  other 
Potato  noticed  was  Mr.  Bresee.  This  one  may  be  termed  a  beautiful 
beast,  and  whilst  always  giving  large  handsome  tubers,  the  flesh  is  hard, 
flavourless,  and  worthless.  I  should  like  to  see  this  variety  debarred 
from  appearance  in  all  Potato  competitions.  We  have  in  Ruby,  Cardinal, 
Prizetaker,  and  Beauty  of  Hebron  far  superior  coloured  kidneys  to  Mr. 
Bresee  so  far  as  quality  of  flesh  is  concerned.  Reading  Russet  still 
occupies  the  highest  position  as  a  red  round.  How  pleasant  would  it  be 
could  we  see  a  revival  of  the  old  International  Potato  Shows  !  They  were 
so  very  interesting. — A.  D. 
