January  23,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
75 
-  Annual  Dinner  of  the  Kew  Staff. — The  Kew  Gardens 
staff  held  its  annual  dinner  on  Thursday  evening,  the  16th  inst.  Mr- 
W.  T.  Thistleton  Dyer  occupied  the  chair.  There  was  a  good  attendance* 
and  the  after-dinner  proceedings  were  enlivened  by  vocal  music  from 
Miss  Jackson  and  the  Twickenham  Glee  Club. 
-  Origin  of  Cooper’s  Black  Grape.  —  Coincidently  with 
Miss  B.  Cooper’s  momentous  information  (page  57)  anent  her  late 
father’s  connection  with  Trentham  Gardens,  I  may  remark  that  in  1852 
I  was  a  contemporary  of  Mr.  Cooper’s  there,  and  have  no  knowledge  of 
the  Grape  in  question  having  been  grown  there  up  to  that  date,  nor 
subsequently  ;  and  I  still  have  a  fair  recollection  of  the  varieties 
cultivated  by  the  late  Mr.  George  Flaming,  though  not  actually  under 
my  charge.  I  now  fear  that  further  information  as  to  the  origin 
of  “Cooper’s  Grape”  is  very  remote  —  a  matter  to  be  deplored. — 
William  Gardiner,  Birmingham. 
-  Sierra  Leone  Botanic  Gardens.  —  Mr.  Frederick  Enos 
Willey,  in  the  employ  of  the  Royal  Gardens,  has  been  appointed  by  the 
Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonies  Curator  of  the  newly  founded 
Botanic  Station  at  Sierra  Leone.  Mr.  Willey  entered  the  Royal  Gardens 
in  June,  1892.  He  was  lent  from  Kew  to  act  as  Curator  of  the  Botanic 
Station  at  Aburi,  Gold  Coast,  during  the  absence  in  1893-4,  of  the  late 
Mr.  Crowther,  who  was  sent  by  his  Government  to  inspect  the  principal 
Botanic  Gardens  in  the  West  Indies.  Mr.  Willey  managed  the  station 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Government  of  the  Gold  Coast,  and  is  therefore 
prepared  by  previous  experience  in  West  Africa  for  the  duties  of  his  new 
post. — (“  Kew  Bulletin.”) 
- Woolton  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society. — 
The  annual  meeting  was  held  on  the  16th  inst.  in  the  Mechanics’  Insti¬ 
tute,  Mr.  R.  Todd  presiding,  Mr.  Waterman,  the  Treasurer,  presented  the 
accounts  as  follows: — Receipts,  £9  6s.  10d.,  including  a  balance  of 
£2  9s.  2d.  ;  expenditure,  £1  15s.  7d.,  leaving  a  balance  of  £7  11s.  3d. 
The  library  continues  most  useful,  and  the  Committee  heartily 
thanked  Mr.  Ker  for  the  book  on  “  Orchids  ”  which  he  kindly 
presented  to  the  Society.  The  prizes  offered  by  the  Society  for  essays 
on  “The  Cultivation  of  the  Strawberry,  Suitable  for  the  District,”  was 
won  by  Mr.  W.  Disley,  Allerton  Priory  Gardens,  Mr.  G.  H.  Webster 
being  second,  Holbrook  Gaskell,  Esq.,  was  elected  President  ;  Mr. 
Waterman,  Treasurer  ;  and  Mr.  G.  H.  Webster,  Secretary  of  the  Society 
for  the  present  year. 
-  Wakefield  Paxton  Society. — The  weekly  lecture  to  the 
members  of  this  Society,  on  11th  inst.,  was  delivered  by  Mr.  J.  Thomas, 
gardener  to  the  Bishop  of  Wakefield,  at  Bishopgarth.  Mr.  B.  Whiteley 
presided,  and  Mr.  L.  Dobicson,  of  Stanley,  occupied  the  vice-chair. 
Mr.  Thomas,  who  has  on  several  occasions  lectured  to  his  fellow 
Paxtonians  on  a  variety  of  horticultural  topics,  selected  for  his  subiect 
last  Saturday  “  Watering,”  and  on  this  question,  which  is  one  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  all  growers  of  plants,  both  indoors  and  out 
he  read  a  carefully  prepared,  very  interesting,  and  thoroughly  practical 
paper,  which  provoked  a  long,  most  instructive,  and  entertaining 
discussion.  “  When  shall  I  water  my  plants  1  ”  was,  said  Mr.  Thomas, 
a  question  which  was  frequently  asked,  and  it  related  to  a  matter  that 
required  the  exercise  of  much  observation  and  tact,  because  some  plants 
require  more  water  than  others.  At  the  same  time  there  was  some 
general  information  which  might  be  given,  and  he  proceeded  to  deal 
with  (1)  the  importance  of  watering  ;  (2)  indoor  watering  ;  (3)  outdoor 
watering  ;  (4)  watering  newly  potted  or  transplanted  plants  ;  (5)  the 
best  water  to  use  ;  and  (6)  the  best  time  for  watering.  Dealing 
with  his  half  dozen  points  seriatim,  Mr.  Thomas  gave  some  valuable 
hints  on  each,  and  as  his  information  was  based  on  long  experience  and 
practice,  it  was  of  a  reliable  character.  The  essayist  expressed  it  as  his 
opinion  that  watering  is  of  more  importance  than  any  other  operation 
in  connection  with  the  growth  of  plants,  because  if  they  did  not  receive 
the  water  they  required  their  existence  was  short.  Plants  in  living 
rooms  were  often  benefited  by  being  immersed  for  about  ten  minutes 
in  water  of  the  same  temperature  as  the  room  in  which  they  were 
kept.  They  should  never  give  water  before  it  was  needed,  and  on  the 
other  hand  they  should  never  allow  plants  to  get  too  dry.  In  watering 
out-of-door  plants  they  should  do  it  thoroughly,  giving  a  good  drench¬ 
ing  instead  of  a  mere  surface  sprinkling.  Rain  water  was  the  best 
for  the  purpose,  and  it  was  advisable  to  take  it  from  tubs  or  tanks  in 
which  it  was  of  a  higher  temperature  than  when  drawn  from  a  tap 
or  supplied  through  a  hose  pipe.  In  summer  the  evening  was  the 
best  time  for  watering,  and  in  the  morning  in  winter.  A  vote  of 
thanks  was  accorded  to  this  excellent  paper. 
-  A  Protracted  Law  Suit. — A  Bavarian  forest,  consisting  of 
Oak  and  Beech  trees,  has  been  the  subject  of  a  law  case  lasting  300 
years.  According  to  a  contemporary,  the  market  community  of  Burginn, 
at  Unterfranken,  commenced  the  case  on  June  21st.  1595,  having  been 
legally  advised  to  appear  against  the  Lords  of  Thiingen  for  a  sum  of 
2,000,000  marks  as  owners  of  the  forest.  As  fast  as  death  has  thinned 
the  ranks  of  the  disputants  others  have  filltd  the  gaps,  so  that  the  case 
when  up  for  trial  recently  appeared  as  fresh  as  ever.  There  is,  however, 
a  hope  that  June  21st  will  see  the  end  of  the  dispute. 
-  Last  Year’s  Rainfall  at  Cottenham,  Cambs.  —  The 
rainfall  during  the  past  year  shows  some  striking  divergencies,  the 
heaviest  fall  for  one  month  being  3'88  inches,  and  the  lowest  028.  The 
amount  that  fell  in  the  various  months  were  as  follows  : — January, 
l-80  inch  ;  February,  0‘28  of  an  inch  ;  March,  1'29  inch  ;  April,  0  93  of 
an  inch  ;  iMay,  1-56  inch  ;  June,  1  inch  ;  July,  3‘18  inches  ;  August) 
3-88  inches  ;  September,  0’52  of  an  inch  ;  October.  2-16  inches  ; 
November,  2-79  inches  ;  and  December,  D72  inch.  The  total  for  the 
year  amounted  to  21*11  inches.  —  Arthur  Bull,  Bernard  House, 
Cottenham,  Cambs. 
-  Distribution  of  Kew  Seeds.— The  publication  annually  of 
a  list  of  seeds  ripened  at  Kew,  and  available  for  exchange,  has  resulted 
in  a  considerable  increase  in  the  number  of  packets  of  seeds  distributed. 
They  are  applied  for  from  both  public  and  private  gardens  in  all  parts 
of  the  world.  The  seeds,  says  the  “  Kew  Bulletin,”  are  for  the  most 
part  of  select  plants.  Last  year  (1894)  nearly  6000  packets  were 
supplied  to  correspondents  whose  desiderata  had  been  selected  from  the 
printed  list.  In  addition  to  this  number  nearly  1000  packets  of  seeds 
received  from  Botanic  Gardens  in  India  and  the  Colonies  were 
distributed  from  Kew.  The  total  number  of  packets  of  s?eds  distri¬ 
buted  annually  from  Kew  previous  to  the  issue  of  a  printed  list  in  1885 
was  about  2000  per  annum. 
-  The  Vegetable  Resources  of  New  Caledonia. — 
Consequent  on  the  rocky  nature  of  the  soil  and  the  difficulty  of 
cultivating  it  these  are  comparatively  few.  There  are  about  2000 
indigenous  plants,  though  but  few  are  useful  ;  the  trees  are  dwarf  and 
stunted.  Nearly  all  the  useful  vegetables  are  imported  from  Europe. 
New  Caledonia  and  the  Loyalty  Islands  have  an  area  of  4  940,000  acres, 
and  of  this  some  2,470,000  are  under  cultivation.  Manioc,  Yams,  and 
Beans  occupy  988,000  acres;  Vines,  Olive,  Mulberry,  aDd  Coffee  trees 
cover  617,500  acres,  and  296,400  acres  is  forest  land  ;  another  111,150 
acres  are  occupied  by  smaller  crops  suitable  for  the  islands.  Coffee  has 
been  successfully  grown,  but  Cotton,  Sugarcane,  and  Tobacco  have  not 
as  yet  been  very  remunerative.  Efforts  are  being  made  to  improve  the 
culture  of  Cocoa-nut,  and  to  acclimatise  Bananas  and  Pine  Apples. 
-  Shirley  (Southampton)  Gardeners’  and  Amateurs’ 
Improvement  Association. — The  monthly  meeting  was  held  at  the 
Parish  Rooms,  Shirley,  Southampton,  on  the  20th  inst.,  Mr.  W.  DevoDport 
presiding.  A  popular  lecture,  entitled  “  Fruit  as  Food,”  was  given  by 
Mr.  R.  E.  O’Callaghan  of  the  Vegetarian  Union,  London.  There  was  a 
large  attendance.  The  lecturer,  among  other  things,  advocated  the 
dissemination  amongst  cottagers,  of  some  method  of  drying  certain 
fruits  in  seasons  of  plenty,  instead  of  permitting  large  quantities  to  be 
wasted,  or  sold  at  prices  which  left  no  margin  of  profit,  as  occurred 
during  the  past  season.  He  referred  particularly  to  the  Plum,  which  he 
said  was  dried  in  great  quantities  by  the  French  and  German  cottagers 
and  small  holders,  and  annually  imported.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was 
accorded  the  lecturer  at  the  close.  [A  great  deal  of  nonsense  is 
preached  and  written  abdut  drying  English  Plums  that  are  not  worth 
sending  to  market.) 
-  ASPLENIUM  NIDUS. — If  a  list  were  to  be  made  of  plants 
possessing  handsome  and  conspicuous  foliage  the  above  noble  Fern 
would  occupy  a  prominent  position.  Its  large  undivided  fronds 
are,  says  a  contemporary,  almost  as  imposing  as  the  leaves  of  the 
Musas,  and  the  plant,  being  much  dwarfer  in  stature,  may  be  grown 
where  room  for  the  latter  cannot  be  found.  The  fronds  run  from  2  feet 
to  4  feet  in  length,  and  from  5  inches  to  8  inches  in  width,  tapering  up 
to  a  more  or  less  acute  apex.  They  are  borne  on  a  stout  stem  raised  a 
very  little  way  from  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  are  deep  shining  green 
in  colour.  The  plant  may  be  grown  in  a  cool  house  with  a  night 
temperature  during  winter  of  about  45°  Fahr.,  although  a  rather  higher 
temperature  than  this  during  the  winter  months  appears  to  suit  it  better. 
Plenty  of  water  is  an  absolute  necessity  at  all  times,  and  during  the 
summer  months  occasional  doses  of  liquid  cow  manure  will  oe  of  great 
service. 
