8 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  2,  1896. 
Weather  in  London. — The  new  year  has  been  ushered  in  under 
pleasant  conditions,  and  the  prospects  of  frost  entertained  a  few 
days  ago  have  vanished  under  the  extremely  mild  weather  that  has 
since  prevailed.  The  atmosphere  is  clear  and  pleasant,  and  with  the 
sun  shining  brightly  the  last  few  days  have  had  quite  a  spring-like 
appearance. 
- Weather  in  the  North. — For  some  days  bitterly  cold,  dull 
weather,  with  N.E.  wind,  prevailed  till  midday  on  Saturday,  when  a 
heavy  snowfall  commenced,  which  lasted  till  evening,  when  about 
3  inches  of  snow  lay  on  the  ground.  A  cold  thaw  then  set  in,  and  by 
Sunday  evening  the  snow  had  in  great  measure  disappeared.  Monday 
was  throughout  rainy  and  cold.— B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire . 
-  Shirley,  Hillbrook,  and  Freemantle  Horticultural 
Society. — The  thirtieth  annual  general  meeting  of  the  above  Society 
was  held  recently  at  the  Shirley  Hotel,  Southampton,  the  chair  being 
taken  by  the  President,  Andrew  Barlow,  Esq.  The  report  showed  the 
Society  to  be  making  steady  progress,  the  entries  numbering  600,  and 
the  membership  also  increasing.  The  balance-sheet  proved  a  balance  in 
favour  of  the  Society  of  over  £35.  After  the  adoption  of  the  report  and 
balance-sheet  the  President  was  again  unanimously  re-elected,  as  were 
also  the  Vice-Presidents,  Treasurer,  and  Secretary.  A  vote  of  thanks  to 
the  President  and  the  retiring  members  of  the  Committee,  and  a  ballot 
for  a  Committee  of  twelve,  closed  a  very  successful  meeting  and  year. 
-  Apples  as  Medicine. — According  to  Dr.  G.  R.  Searles  the 
Apple  is  medicinal  in  a  marked  degree.  He  says  “  The  Apple  is  such 
common  fruit  that  very  few  persons  are  familiar  with  its  remarkable 
efficacious  medicinal  properties.  Everybody  ought  to  know  that  the 
very  best  thing  they  can  do  is  to  eat  Apples  just  before  retiring  for  the 
night.  Persons  uninitiated  in  the  mysteries  of  the  fruit  are  liable  to 
throw  up  their  hands  in  horror  at  the  visions  of  dyspepsia,  which  such  a 
suggestion  may  summon  up,  but  no  harm  can  come  even  to  a  delicate 
system  by  the  eating  of  ripe  and  juicy  Apples  just  before  going  to  bed. 
The  Apple  is  an  excellent  brain  food,  because  it  has  more  phosphoric 
acid  in  easily  digestible  shape  than  any  other  vegetable  known.  It 
excites  the  action  of  the  liver,  promotes  sound  and  healthy  sleep,  and 
thoroughly  disinfects  the  mouth.  This  is  not  all.  The  Apple  aggluti¬ 
nates  the  surplus  acids  of  the  stomach,  helps  the  kidney  secretions,  and 
prevents  calculus  growths,  while  it  obviates  indigestion,  and  is  one  of 
the  best  preventives  known  of  diseases  of  the  throat.  Everybody  should 
be  familiar  with  such  knowledge.  In  addition,  next  to  the  Orange  and 
the  Lemon,  it  is  the  best  antidote  for  the  thirst  and  craving  of  the 
person  addicted  to  the  alcohol  or  the  opium  habit.” 
-  Chislkhurst  Gardeners’  Association.— There  was  a  good 
attendance  of  members  at  a  recent  meeting  of  this  Society,  when 
Mr.  H.  Cannell  gave  a  lecture,  on  “  Heating,  as  Applied  to  Horticultural 
Buildings.”  At  the  commencement  of  his  address  Mr.  Cannell  said  he 
did  not  profess  to  be  a  lecturer,  but  came  before  them  as  a  gardener,  and 
one  who  knew  some  of  the  difficulties  that  gardeners  had  to  contend 
with.  He  hoped  that  no  one  present  would  hesitate  to  put  questions  to 
him  on  any  point  that  did  not  seem  clear  to  his  hearers.  Mr.  Cannell 
then  traced  the  history  of  heating  glass  structures,  commencing  with  the 
old  plan  of  hotbeds  of  manure  and  leaves,  placed  inside  and  round  the 
sides  of  structures  to  produce  heat.  Then  followed  the  flues,  but  these 
were  always  a  great  anxiety,  owing  to  their  liability  to  crack,  letting  the 
sulphur  fumes  escape  into  the  house,  and  killing  everything  in  it ;  but 
even  under  these  adverse  circumstances  good  plants  were  grown.  This 
was  in  turn  superseded  by  hot  water.  In  its  earlier  stages  the  water  was 
conveyed  round  the  house  in  open  troughs.  Finally  it  reached  the  point 
we  now  see  it — viz.,  carried  round  in  pipes.  Mr.  Cannell  said  the  aim 
should  be  to  get  a  boiler  that  would  extract  the  greatest  amount  of  heat 
from  the  fuel  before  it  passed  up  the  chimney.  The  manner  of  setting 
the  boiler  was  also  dealt  with,  as  also  the  pipes  and  their  arrangement 
in  the  house,  having  them  spread  over  as  large  an  area  as  possible. 
The  advantage  of  having  a  pipe  under  the  roof  was  also  pointed  out  ; 
in  fact,  every  detail  was  given  with  minuteness.  At  the  close  of  the 
hctuie  a  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded. 
-  Mr.  J.  Hathaway,  who  has  been  for  the  past  sixteen  years 
head  gardener  to  the  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Latham,  Latton  House, 
near  Ormskirk,  and  who  will  be  remembered  by  visitors  to  Liverpool, 
Shrewsbury,  and  other  notable  shows  as  a  successful  exhibitor  of 
vegetables,  has  been  appointed  by  the  Corporation  of  Southport  head 
gardener  to  take  charge  of  their  park,  gardens,  and  recreation  grounds, 
at  a  salary  of  £150,  house,  See.,  free.  There  were  249  applicants  for  the 
post. 
-  Gardening  Appointments.— Mr.  J.  W.  Barks,  for  the  past 
eight  and  a  half  years  foreman  at  Downside,  Leatherhead,  has  been 
appointed  head  gardener  to  Pandelli  Ralli,  Esq.,  Alderbrook,  Cranleigh, 
Guildford,  Surrey.  Mr.  E.  Ross,  who  has  been  foreman  of  the  glass 
department,  Belvoir  Castle  Gardens,  upwards  of  five  years,  as  head 
gardener  to  J.  T.  Dugdale,  Esq.,  Sezincote,  Moreton  -  in  -  Marsh 
Gloucestershire. 
-  The  annual  dinner  of  the  French  Horticultural  Society 
of  London  will  be  held  at  the  Society’s  usual  meeting  place,  New 
Compton  Street,  Soho,  on  Saturday,  the  11th  January,  when  Mr. 
Harman  Payne  will  occupy  the  chair. 
- Aged  Peoples’  Social  Gathering.— The  annual  tea  and 
entertainment  under  the  management  of  the  Astwood  Bank  Amateur 
Gardeners’  Society,  was  held  on  Friday  evening,  the  27th  ult.,  and  was 
well  attended,  nearly  one  hundred  aged  thoroughly  enjoying  themselves. 
Vocal  and  instrumental  music  was  cheerfully  given  by  kind  friends  from 
the  village  and  locality,  which  was  highly  appreciated.  A  distribution 
of  provisions  to  those  unable  to  attend  took  place  on  the  following  day, 
and  it  is  intended  to  hold  a  ball  for  the  young  friends  who  waited  on 
and  attended  their  aged  neighbours. — J.  H. 
-  Mahonia  Sprays. — Very  largely  sold  all  through  the  autumn 
and  winter  are  small  portions  of  branches  of  Mahonia  aquifolia,  but 
in  an  artificially  coloured  state,  usually,  indeed,  of  a  coppery  hue.  This 
colouration,  produced  by  dye,  is  due  no  doubt  to  the  natural  tendency 
on  the  part  of  the  leafage  of  this  useful  hardy  shrub  to  assume  a  bronzy 
or  coppery  hue  in  the  winter.  The  artificial  colouration  rather  excels 
that  of  Nature,  but  when  associated  with  white  flowers  it  is  not  dis¬ 
pleasing.  It  is  surprising  to  find  how  quickly  the  leafage  shrivels, 
however,  if  these  sprays  be  set  into  water,  but  if  in  waterless  vases  will 
keep  fairly  fresh  for  some  time.  Doubtless  the  closing  of  the  pores  or 
stomata  by  the  dye  prevents  capillary  action  when  water  is  taken  up  by 
the  stems.  Where  Mahonia  is  largely  grown  and  on  somewhat  poor  or 
gravelly  soil,  colouration  in  the  autumn  is  more  pronounced,  and  such 
leafage  is  far  better  for  indoor  decoration  than  is  that  artificially 
dyed. — D. 
- - Large  Onions. — Any  readers  who  have  not  grown  large  Onions 
on  the  early  sowing  and  planting  out  method,  and  would  wi3h  to  try 
the  plan,  should  at  once  prepare  shallow  boxes  or  broad  pans  for  the 
purpose,  and  secure  seed.  Some  growers  sow  before  Christmas,  but 
there  is  yet  ample  time  to  do  so.  The  best  place  to  stand  the  boxes  or 
pans  after  seed  is  sown  is  in  an  early  vinery,  where  the  Vines  are  being 
moved  to  break  by  very  gentle  warmth.  Nc  sooner  are  the  plants  well 
up  than,  if  the  heat  be  getting  too  great,  they  can  be  shifted  into  a  rather 
cooler,  yet  very  light  house.  When  the  seedlings  are  3  inches  in  height 
they  should  be  transplanted  thinly  into  other  shallow  boxes  or  pans,  or 
be  dibbled  out  into  a  frame  where  there  is  gentle  bottom  heat,  the  soil 
being  within  6  inches  of  the  glass.  All  that  is  needed  henceforth  is 
ample  light  and  air,  so  that  the  plants  keep  erect,  stout  and  vigorous. 
They  may  be  planted  out  very  thinly  into  rich  deep  soil  during 
April.— Grower. 
-  Wakefield  Paxton  Society. — “  Winter  Vegetables  ”  was 
the  subject  of  an  interesting  and  instructive  discourse  by  Mr.  T.  Pitts  at 
the  weekly  meeting  of  the  Paxton  Society  on  the  21st  ult.  Mr.  Tunni- 
cliffe  was  Chairman,  and  Mr.  G.  Brown  Vice-Chairman,  and  over  forty 
members  were  present.  Mr.  Pitts,  at  the  outset,  said  he  should  speak  as 
“  an  amateur  to  amateurs,”  humorously  referring  to  his  recent  change 
of  occupation — from  being  head  gardener  to  Mr.  D.  B,  Kendell,  J.P.,  of 
Walton,  to  becoming  checkweighman  at  the  Park  Hill  Colliery.  It  was 
not  impossible,  said  Mr.  Pitts,  to  have  a  different  vegetable  (not  including 
Potatoes)  every  day  of  the  week  throughout  the  winter,  grown  in  any 
garden  and  without  the  aid  of  artificial  heat  or  fire.  The  vegetables 
dwelt  on  by  Mr.  Pitts  were  Artichokes,  Brussels  Sprouts,  Broccoli, 
Savoys,  Parsnips,  Seakale,  Purple  Sprouting  Broccoli,  Cottager’s  Kale, 
and  Salsafy ;  and  clear  and  concise  hints  on  the  best  methods  of 
cultivating  each,  from  the  seed-bed  to  perfection,  were  given.  None  of 
these  vegetables  was,  according  to  the  essayist,  expensive  or  difficult  to 
grow,  but  the  best  results  could  be  obtained  only  by  care  and  hard  work. 
