July  18,  me. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
59 
-  Sheffielb  Chbysanthemum  Society.— The  usual  monthly  j 
meeting  was  held  in  the  Society’s  rooms,  The  Museum,  on  Wednesday, 
the  8th  July,  when  an  excellent  paper  on  the  Fuchsia  was  read  by  Mr. 
M.  H.  Willford,  Secretary  of  the  Walkley  Floral  and  Horticultural 
Society,  who  treated  the  subject  in  a  very  able  and  efficient  manner, 
much  to  the  interest  of  the  members  present.  The  monthly  exhibits 
were  plants,  and  a  good  collection  was  staged  for  competition.  The 
successful  exhibitors  in  the  professional  class  were  Messrs.  0.  Scott  and 
Gr.  Smith,  equal  first  and  second,  for  well  grown,  good  coloured  plants 
of  Dracsena  Percy!  and  Croton  Prince  of  Wales  respectively.  Third, 
R.  Agar,  for  a  fine  Caladium.  In  the  amateur  class  Mr.  T.  Sutton  secured 
the  first  prize  with  a  Dracaena,  Mr.  T.  Lygo  the  second  with  a  Cocos 
Weddelliana,  and  third,  Mr.  J.  Eaton,  with  a  Scolopendrium  crispum. 
There  was  a  good  attendance  of  members  present,  although  at  this  season 
outdoor  gardening  claims  the  greater  part  of  the  amateurs’  spare  time. 
Several  new  members  were  admitted  to  this  Society.  A  vote  of  thanks 
to  the  Chairman,  Mr.  Wm.  Collier,  concluded  the  meeting. 
-  Iris  Lorteti, — This  has  been  the  latest  of  the  Oncocyclus 
section  in  flower  this  season.  This  Palestine  Iris  is  by  some  considered 
the  most  beautiful  flower  of  the  family,  and  is  certainly  charming  both 
in  form  and  colouring.  It  may  be  briefly,  if  crudely,  described  as  a 
pink  I.  Susiana,  though  there  are  said  to  be  forms  with  violet  markings. 
As  it  is  now  flowering,  the  flowers  resemble  good  forms  of  I.  Susiana 
both  in  size  and  form.  The  large  standards  are  white,  with  many  pink 
lines.  The  falls  are  dotted  with  pink,  and  have  a  deep  rose  signal.  The 
styles  are  tinted  a  shining  golden  brown.  This  species,  though  recently 
introduced,  is  now  obtainable  at  a  moderate  price,  and  should  be  grown 
by  all  fanciers  of  choice  plants  If  the  rhizomes  are  kept  in  dry  soil 
until  late  in  the  autumn,  and  planted  out  after  the  ground  becomes  cold, 
there  should  be  no  care  required  in  their  cultivation  beyond  keeping  the 
soil  moist  during  the  growing  season,  which  soon  ends.  It  is  better  to 
plant  them  in  the  open  garden  rather  than  in  a  sheltered  place,  where 
the  supply  of  moisture  early  in  the  year  may  prove  insufficient. — 
Garden  and  Forest.”) 
-  Trevesia  palmata. — This  plant  is  also  called  Trevesia 
Sundaica,  and  more  commonly  Gastonia  palmata.  The  leaves  are  very 
la'gi,  attaining  a  diameter  of  feet.  The  leaf  divisions,  instead  of 
being  widest  at  the  base,  are  narrower  there  than  nearer  the  apex,  being 
contracted  at  the  part  where  the  division  takes  place,  and  this  gives  the 
leaves  a  very  odd  appearance.  On  an  old  plant  growing  in  the  bed  of  a 
cool  greenhouse  at  Washington  there  are,  says  a  writer  in  a  transatlantic 
contemporar}'-,  growths  12  feet  long,  and  all  their  length  is  clothed  with 
its  princely  foliage.  It  is  a  native  of  India.  T.  eminens  is  also  well 
worth  growing.  The  leaf  divisions  are  more  numerous  and  not  quite  so 
broad  as  in  T.  palmata,  and  they  do  not  have  the  peculiar  formation  in 
the  leaf  divisions  of  that  species.  Good  sized  specimens  can  be  grown  in 
pots,  and  they  are  valuable  for  verandah  decoration  in  summer  or  for 
house  decoration  in  winter.  Cuttings  from  1  to  2  feet  long  can  be 
rooted  in  sand  if  the  atmosphere  surrounding  them  is  kept  moist  and  at 
a  temperature  of  at  least  65'’.  Stems  denuded  of  the  foliage  will  sprout 
if  treated  in  the  same  way  as  Dracasna. 
-  Proposed  New  Park  at  Sydenham.— The  Board  of  Works 
for  the  Lewisham  District  have  submitted  a  memorial  to  the  Loudon 
County  Council  asking  the  Council  to  acquire  some  land  near  Well’s 
Road,  Sydenham  as  an  open  space  and  playground  for  the  people  there. 
The  Parka  and  Open  Spaces  Committee  have  considered  the  matter,  and 
in  a  report  which  they  have  drawn  up  they  state  that  the  area  of  the 
district  under  the  charge  of  the  District  Board  is  6541  acres,  and  the 
population  in  1891  was  92,647,  which  number  has  since  greatly  increased, 
and  is  still  increasing  as  the  laud  in  the  district  becomes  covered  with 
houses.  It  is  urged  that  there  is  great  need  for  an  open  space  and  play¬ 
ground  for  the  artisan  population  resident  in  and  around  Well’s  Road 
who  are  not  able  to  go  so  far  as  the  existing  recreation  ground  at  Forest 
Hill,  which  is  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  District  Board,  and  is 
more  than  a  mile  away  from  the  proposed  open  space.  The  land  pro¬ 
posed  to  be  acquired  contains  an  area  of  16J  acres,  and  it  can  be 
purchased  at  £7000,  of  which  sum  the  District  Board  offer  to  contribute 
one-half.  Having  in  view  the  desire  of  the  Council  to  secure  whenever 
possible  some  of  the  rapidly  disappearing  open  land  in  the  county  for 
the  purpose  of  playing  or  recreation  grounds,  the  Committee  think  the 
Council  should  embrace  the  opportunity  which  now  presents  itself  and 
assist  in  the  acquirement  of  the  land.  They  have  not  yet  decided 
definitely  the  manner  in  which  the  land  shall  be  treated,  but  roughly 
estimate  that  it  will  cost  £5000  to  fit  it  for  the  purpose  of  a  public  play¬ 
ground,  and  that  the  annual  cost  of  maintenance  will  be  about  £700, 
-  Prune  Culture  in  Washington. — The  Rural  North-West 
discredits  a  report  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  Prune  crop  of  the 
Pacific  North-West  will  be  shipped  east  in  the  fresh  state  this  season,  and 
holds  that,  while  there  will  probably  be  a  larger  increase  in  the  demands 
for  green  Prunes,  it  is  pretty  certain  that  the  entire  product  of  the  old 
orchards  will  be  available  for  drying.  According  to  this  authority  there 
were  8000  acres,  or  800,000  Prune  trees,  set  out  in  Washington,  Oregon, 
and  Idaho  during  1890  and  1891,  and  upon  a  conservative  estimate 
these  trees  will  produce  15  lbs,  each  of  fresh  fruits  this  year,  a  total  of 
12,000,000  lbs.,  or  500  car  loads. 
- Flax  and  Hemp  Culture  in  England. — Efforts  are  being 
made  to  extend  the  cultivation  of  Flax  and  Hemp  in  England,  more 
particularly  in  the  eastern  counties,  with  the  hope  that  it  will  be  profit¬ 
able  to  farmers.  For  the  purpose  of  affording  facilities  for  the  prepara¬ 
tion  and  manufacture  of  the  fibres  of  Flax  and  Hemp  a  company  has 
been  formed  under  the  title  of  the  English  Fibre  Industries,  with  the 
Earl  of  Stradbroke  as  Chairman,  and  it  proposes  to  commence  operations 
by  erecting  a  central  manufactory  at  Great  Shelford,  in  Cambridgeshire. 
The  importance  of  the  fibres  of  Flax  and  Hemp  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  we  annually  import  Flax  and  Hemp  to  the  value  of  £4,000,000 
and  goods  manufactured  from  their  fibres  of  the  value  of  £8,000,000. 
-  The  Reading  and  District  Gardeners’  Mutual  Im¬ 
provement  Association. — The  annual  outing  of  the  above  Association 
took  place  on  Thursday,  July  2Qd,  and  proved  to  be  one  of  the  largest 
attended  and  most  successful  yet  held,  over  100  members  taking  part  in 
the  trip.  The  places  selected  to  be  visited  were  Englefield  (the  seat  of 
R.  Benyon,  Esq.),  Pangbourne,  and  Whitchurch.  Starting  from 
Reading  at  10.45  in  six  large  brakes,  supplied  by  Mr.  Humphries  of  the 
Lodge  Hotel,  the  party  after  a  pleasant  drive  along  the  Bath  Road,  vi5. 
Tneale,  at  which  place  they  were  joined  by  a  contingent  of  members 
from  the  Burghfield  district,  arrived  at  Englefield,  where  they  were 
received  by  Mr.  Coombes,  the  head  gardener.  The  church,  a  beautiful 
edifice,  situated  just  within  the  grounds,  was  first  inspected.  Proceed¬ 
ing  to  the  terrace,  many  beautiful  views  were  pointed  out.  At  the 
entrance  to  the  mansion  Mrs.  Hobart,  the  genial  housekeeper  (through 
the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Benyon)  was  waiting  to  conduct  the  members 
through  the  principal  rooms,  where  the  pictures  by  many  of  the  old 
masters,  the  magnificent  inlaid  furniture,  and  the  many  valuable  curios 
excited  the  admiration  of  the  visitors.  Leaving  the  billiard  room  the 
party  wended  their  way  to  the  terrace  gardens  and  woods,  much  interest 
being  manifested  in  the  beautiful  trees  which  studded  the  grounds, 
notably  the  Abies,  Taxodiums,  Wellingtonias,  Acers,  variegated  and 
green,  also  the  grand  specimen  of  Magnolia  growing  against  the  mansion. 
At  one  o’clock  the  long  gallery  was  entered,  a  room  of  historic  renown, 
having  been  built  for  the  reception  of  Queen  Elizabeth  on  her  visit  to 
Englefield,  Here  the  party  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous  lunch,  provided 
through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Benyon,  After  luncheon  Mr.  J.  P.  Jones 
proposed  that  their  best  thanks  should  be  conveyed  to  Mr.  Benyon  for 
the  kind  way  in  which  he  had  entertained  them,  and  thrown  open  his 
mansion  and  grounds  for  their  inspection.  This  was  seconded  by  the 
Chairman  of  the  Association  (Mr.  T,  Neve),  and  needless  to  say  was 
carried  with  unanimous  approval.  As  Mr,  Benyon  was  unable  to  be 
present  at  the  luncheon,  he  expressed  a  wish  to  see  a  deputation  of  the 
members  in  the  drawing-room,  where  he  expressed  the  pleasure  that  it 
afforded  him  to  be  of  any  help  to  such  a  Society  as  theirs,  and  if  the 
members  only  enjoyed  their  visit  to  Englefield  as  much  as  he  did  in 
inviting  them,  then  the  outing  would  be  a  pleasant  one.  This  being  over 
the  various  greenhouses,  fruit,  and  forcing  departments  were  inspected, 
and  an  hour  was  profitably  spent.  The  brakes  were  now  ready  to  go  on  to 
Pangbourne,  and  assembling  at  the  Elephant  Hotel  at  five  o’clock  the 
company  found  an  excellent  tea  awaiting  them,  through  the  kindness 
of  the  President  (Mr.  Arthur  W.  Sutton),  who  unfortunately  was  unable 
to  take  part  in  the  outing  owing  to  a  business  journey  in  France,  which 
was  unforeseen  at  the  time  the  arrangements  for  the  outing  were  made. 
After  tea  the  Chairman  reminded  them  that  the  programme  was  not  yet 
finished,  as  visits  had  to  be  made  to  Coombe  Lodge,  Whitchurch  (the 
residence  of  Mr.  Foster),  and  to  Shooter’s  Hill,  Pangbourne  (Mr. 
Evans’)  but  he  would  take  the  opportunity  of  saying  how  much  they 
appreciated  the  kindness  of  their  President  in  providing  them  such  an 
excellent  tea  and  for  the  great  interest  he  took  in  their  Society.  The 
party  then  divided,  one  portion  going  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Trollope,  head  gardener  at  Coombe  Lodge  ;  the  other  under  the  super¬ 
vision  of  Mr.  Basil,  head  gardener  at  Shooter’s  Hill,  The  arrangements, 
which,  in  the  absence  of  the  Hon.  Secretary  (Mr.  J.  Pound,  jun.) 
through  illness  were  carried  out  by  a  sub-Committee,  gave  the  greatest 
satisfaction,  not  a  hitch  having  occurred  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  day. 
