June  4,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
513 
Events  of  the  Week, — The  only  event  of  any  importance  next 
week  is  the  meeting  of  the  Committees  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  which  takes  place  on  Tuesday  next  at  the  Drill  Hall, 
Westminster. 
-  Weather  in  London. — Almost  unclouded  skies  have  pre¬ 
vailed  during  the  week,  and  the  prolonged  drought  is  becoming  serious. 
The  deficiency  during  April  and  Hay,  from  the  average  of  the  corre¬ 
sponding  months  during  ten  years,  1880-9,  amounts  to  nearly  300  tons 
an  acre.  A  welcome  shower,  however,  fell  on  Wednesday  morning,  and 
more  rain  is  earnestly  hoped  for. 
-  Weather  in  the  North. — With  an  occasional  slight  appear¬ 
ance  of  rain  the  drought  continued  severe  during  the  week  ending 
Tuesday  morning  till  the  evening  of  Monday,  when  it  appeared  to  be 
giving  way.  Rain  was  falling  on  Tuesday  morning,  and  the  indications 
pointed  to  its  continuance. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
Veitch  Medals. — The  presentation  will  take  place  at  the 
Drill  Hall  on  Tuesday,  June  9th,  at  3  p.m.,  by  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.i 
President  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  The  recipients  this  year 
are  M.  Henri  L.  de  Yilmorin,  Paris  ;  Professor  Sargent,  Boston,  U.S.A. ; 
Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge,  Trinity  College  Botanic  Garden,  Dublin;  and 
Mr.  Malcolm  Dunn,  the  Palace  Gardens,  Dalkeith. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society.— The  next  Fruit  and  Floral 
meeting  will  be  held  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Victoria  Street,  on 
Tuesday,  June  9th.  At  3  p.m.  the  Rev.  Professor  Henslow  will  give  a 
lecture  on  “  The  Movements  of  Plants,”  illustrated  by  magic  lantern. 
-  Chester  Horticultural  Show  and  Fete.— A  free  horti¬ 
cultural  conference  in  connection  with  the  above  will  be  held  at  Chester 
on  the  eve  of  the  show  (August  4th)  under  the  Presidency  of  the  Duke 
of  Westminster.  Papers  relative  to  “  The  History  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  of  England,”  “  Garden  Craft,”  and  the  literature  of 
horticulture,  will  be  read  by  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  the  Dean  of 
Rochester,  and  F.  W.  Burbidge,  Esq.,  respectively. 
- Grapes  Scalding. — Although  Black  Hamburghs  are  some¬ 
times  scorched  when  the  berries  are  exposed  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun, 
they  are  not  nearly  so  subject  to  scalding  as  are  Muscat  of  Alexandria 
and  Lady  Downe’s  in  the  later  stages  of  stoning.  In  the  case  of  Black 
Hamburghs  a  good  spread  of  foliage  is  an  excellent  precaution,  with  air 
in  the  early  part  of  the  day.  In  the  case  of  Muscat  of  Alexandria  a 
Blight  shade  is  an  advantage,  especially  where  the  panes  of  glass  are 
large  and  the  ventilation  not  over-abundantly  provided  for.  The  only 
safeguard  is  careful  treatment  in  the  later  stages  of  stoning,  air  being 
admitted  more  freely  for  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  until  colouring 
commences,  when  all  danger  will  be  over  ;  indeed,  a  bountiful  supply  of 
air  by  day  and  a  little  ventilation  constantly  at  the  upper  part  of  the 
house,  with  a  genial  warmth  in  the  hot-water  pipes,  are  the  surest 
means  of  avoiding  scalding  in  Grapes. — A.  S.  A. 
-  Royal  Botanic  Society.— A  meeting  of  the  Fellows  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Society  was  held  at  the  Society’s  headquarters,  Regent’s 
Park,  last  Saturday  afternoon.  Major  Cotton  presided,  and  amongst 
others  present  were  the  Duke  of  Teck,  the  Marquis  of  Bute,  Earl 
Anneslev,  the  Marquis  of  Bristol,  Sir  E.  H.  Galsworthy,  and  Mr.  St. 
George  Mivart.  Mr.  J.  S.  Rubenstein  proposed  that  the  Council  give, 
as  an  experiment,  musical  promenades  on  six  consecutive  Saturday 
afternoons,  commencing  June  13th  next,  to  be  open  to  the  public  on 
payment  of  a  shilling,  twenty-three  Fellows  having  agreed  to  guarantee 
£5  each  against  the  risk  of  any  loss.  He  said  that  on  a  previous  occasion 
when  he  submitted  a  similar  proposition  the  Fellows  were  decidedly 
against  an  innovation,  believing  that  the  finances  of  the  Society  could 
not  bear  the  strain  of  the  initial  outlay.  This  difficulty  he  was  pleased 
to  say  had  been  removed  through  the  kindness  of  a  number  of  Fellows 
coming  forward  and  agreeing  to  give  guarantee  against  the  risk  of  any 
loss  to  the  Society.  Sir  E.  H.  Galsworthy  seconded  the  motion,  which, 
having  been  supported  by  the  Marquis  of  Bute  and  the  Marquis  of 
Bristol,  was  carried  unanimously. 
-  Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  T.  Lewis,  for  the  past  two 
years  gardener  at  Ribbey  Hall,  Kirkham,  has  been  appointed  gardener 
to  C.  Eastwick  Field,  Esq.,  Hurst  House,  Midhurst,  Sussex. 
- By  permission  of  the  Benchers,  the  Inner  Temple  Gardens  will 
be  open  every  evening  up  to  the  end  of  August  from  six  o’clock  until 
dusk.  The  privilege  is  intended  especially  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
children  of  the  surrounding  densely  populated  districts. 
-  Pansies  from  Stevenage. — Messrs.  Young  &  Dobinson, 
Holmesdale  Nurseries,  Stevenage,  forward  flowers  to  illustrate  their 
strain  of  Pansies.  The  flowers  are  of  good  size,  and  cover  a  wide  range 
of  colour.  This  firm  is  also  responsible  for  the  sooty  Viola,  Stevenage 
Sweep. 
-  Early  Strawberries.— I  herewith  send  you  two  fruits  of 
Strawberry  Emperor  William,  picked  this  morning,  May  29th.  I  think 
this  is  the  earliest  picking  from  outdoor-grown  plants  on  record,  and 
must  show  that  the  variety  named  is  the  first  fruiting  kind  we  possess 
by  far. — IT.  Cannell.  [Under  whatever  conditions  they  were  grown 
they  were  ripe,  and  in  appearance  somewhat  resembled  Vicomtesse 
Hericart  de  Thury.  We  shall  be  glad  to  publish  other  notes  on  early 
ripening  Strawberries  that  may  be  sent  to  us.j 
-  The  Pope’s  Garden. — At  twelve  the  present  Pope  takes 
his  simple  repast,  after  which  he  is  carried  in  a  p’ortantina  of  red  silk, 
by  two  bearers,  into  the  garden,  where  he  enters  his  carriage  and 
drives  down  the  alleys  of  Oak  and  Ilex  trees,  escorted  by  an  officer 
of  the  Noble  Guards  and  two  gendarmes.  His  Holiness  inspects  the 
fine  vineyard,  in  which  he  takes  more  real  interest  than  in  all  the 
marbles  of  the  Vatican,  and  which  yearly  yields  8000  litres  of  excellent 
wine.  The  principal  relaxation  of  His  Holiness  consists  in  cultivating 
Tea  Roses. 
-  The  National  Amateur  Gardeners’  Association. — 
Ferns,  and  British  Ferns  in  particular,  were  the  chief  attraction  at  the 
meeting  of  this  Association  held  at  the  Memorial  Hall  on  Tuesday,  2nd 
June.  Mr.  George  Gordon,  F.R.H.S.,  gave  a  most  interesting  lecture  on 
“  British  Ferns,”  and  the  members  had  been  specially  asked  to  bring  up 
specimens  to  serve  as  illustrations  of  the  lecturer’s  remarks.  The  result 
was  an  exceedingly  fine  collection  of  the  best  varieties  of  the  cultivated 
forms  of  the  native  species.  Some  fine  groups  of  British  Ferns  were 
staged  for  Messrs.  Fenlon’s  special  prize,  which  was  won  by  Mr.  Vokes  of 
Southampton.  For  the  prizes  offered  by  Col.  H  ilford  Thompson  for 
Ferns  grown  in  Jadoo  fibre  there  was  a  good  competition,  and  the  fine 
specimens  denoted  how  suitable  that  material  is  for  them.  Mr.  A.  J. 
Rowberry  staged,  not  for  competition,  a  large  collection  of  Violas, 
comprised  chiefly  of  seedlings  raised  by  the  exhibitor.  On  Saturday, 
30th  May,  the  members  visited  the  beautiful  garden  of  Mr.  A.  H.  Smee 
at  Wallington.  A  large  party  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  see 
these  noted  grounds,  and  thoroughly  appreciated  the  privilege  so  kindly 
extended  to  them  by  Mr.  Smee. 
- -  Awards  at  Olympia  Show. — As  was  stated  in  our  last  issue 
(page  499)  space  could  not  be  found  for  the  publication  of  the  medals 
adjudged  to  the  various  exhibitors,  and  consequently  a  list  is  appended 
herewith.  Messrs.  J.  Carter  &  Co.,  silver  medal  for  Gloxinias  ;  W.  Howe, 
large  silver  medal  for  Ferns  ;  silver-gilt  medal  for  Dracaenas,  and  a  small 
silver  medal  for  Crotons ;  H.  B.  May,  gold  medal  for  Ferns  ;  J.  Meads, 
silver  medal  for  Melons  ;  A.  Waterer,  silver  medal  for  Rhododendrons  ; 
H.  J.  Jones,  large  silver  medal  for  cut  decorative  Pelargoniums  ;  large 
silver  medal  for  bunches  of  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  and  a  silver-gilt  medal 
for  a  group  ;  J.  Carter  &  Co.,  silver  medal  for  Calceolarias  ;  J.  Laing  and 
Sons,  large  silver  medal  for  Conifers  ;  W.  Cragg,  large  silver  medal  for 
Orchids  ;  C.  Turner,  large  silver  medalfor  Pelargoniums  ;  B.  S.  Williams 
and  Son,  silver-gilt  medal  for  a  group  ;  J.  Laing  &  Sons,  gold  medal  for 
a  group  ;  IT.  Low  &  Co.,  silver-gilt  medal  for  Orchids  ;  R.  Smith  &  Son, 
silver-gilt  medal  for  Clematises ;  J.  MacArthur,  large  silver  medal  for 
Orchids ;  W.  Cutbush  &  Son,  large  silver  medal  for  a  group  ;  C.  Turner, 
silver  medal  for  Azaleas  and  Roses  ;  T.  S.  Ware,  large  silver  medal  for 
cut  flowers ;  Barr  &  Son,  large  silver  medal  for  hardy  flowers  ;  Kelway 
and  Son,  large  silver  medal  for  hardy  flowers ;  J.  Cheal  &  Sons,  large 
silver  medal  for  rockery  and  flowers  ;  J.  Laing  &  Sons,  silver  medal  for 
a  table  of  plants ;  J.  Carter  &  Co.,  silver  medal  for  Petunias  ;  G.  Mount, 
silver  medal  for  Roses  ;  A.  Waterer,  silver  medal  for  Azaleas  ;  H.  Low 
and  Co.,  silver  medal  for  Cannas  ;  Howell,  silver  medal  for  Ferns  ; 
J.  Jenson,  silver  medal  for  Pelargoniums  ;  T.  S.  Ware,  silver  medal  for 
Irises  ;  Barr  &  Son,  silver  medal  for  a  table  of  flowers  ;  and  T.  S.  Ware, 
silver  medal  for  Malmaison  Carnations.  Besides  these  there  were  medals 
for  sundries  and  for  floral  decorations. 
