Deoeoaber  24,  1896. 
JOtJRNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  A.UD  COTTAGE  GARDPHEH 
609 
-  Birkenhead  and  District  Gardeners’  Mtjthad 
Ijtprovement  Association. — At  a  recent  meeting  Mr.  George  Burden 
of  The  Gardena,  Lingdale  Lodge,  Olamghton,  gave  a  lecture  on  “  Chrya- 
anthemama  and  Their  Culture"  before  the  members  of  the  above 
Association.  There  was  a  good  attendance  of  members,  who  thoroughly 
enjoyed  and  benefited  much  from  the  able  and  open  manner  in  which  the 
lectarer  described  the  various  methods  so  succeisfully  practised  by 
himself  in  growing  this  the  “  queen  of  flowers.” 
- The  Climates  of  Sydney  and  Naples  Compared. — 
Visitors  to  Australia  frequently  allude  to  the  Italian  character  of  the 
New  South  Wales  climate,  especially  that  of  Sydney — which,  situated 
as  it  is,  midway  between  the  extreme  points  of  the  colony — has  a  mean 
temperature  corresponding  with  that  of  Barcelona,  tSe  great  maritime 
city  of  Spain,  and  of  Toulon,  in  France.  At  Sydney  the  mean  summer 
temperature  is  71°,  and  that  of  winter  54°.  The  range  is  thus  17°  Fahr. 
At  Naples,  where  the  mean  temperature  for  t^e  year,  is  about  the  .same 
as  at  Sydney,  the  summer  temperature  reaches  a  mean  of  74‘4°,  and  the 
mean  of  winter  is  47'6°,  with  a  range  of  27°.  Thus  the  summer  is  warmer 
and  the  winter  much  colder  than  at  Sydney.  The  highest  temperature 
in  the  shade  experienced  in  Sydney  until  the  year  1890  was  106  9°,  and 
the  lowest  winter  temperature  was  35  9°  giving  a  range  of  7F.  At 
Naples  the  range  has  been  as  great  as  81°,  the  winter  minimum  falling 
sometimes  below  the  freezing  point.  The  mean  temperature  of  Sydney 
for  a  long  series  of  years  was — spring,  62°  ;  summer,  71°  ;  autumn,  64°  ; 
and  winter,  ol”. — J.  Plummer. 
- BlRMINGfHAM  GARDENERS’  MUTUAL  IMPROVEMENT  AS¬ 
SOCIATION. — The  members  of  this  Society  met  recently  to  listen  to  the 
reading  of  three  pspers  on  “Stove  and  Greenhouse  Ferns:  Their 
Varieties  and  Cultivation,”  contributed  by  members  for  prizes  offered  by 
the  Committee,  The  '^ssays  had  previously  been  adjudicated  upon,  and 
were  pronounced  to  be  of  exceptional  merit,  both  from  a  practical, 
cultural,  and  a  literary  point  of  view.  Mr.  W.  B:  Latham  (the  Chair¬ 
man)  and  Mr.  W.  Spinks  highly  complimented  the  competitors  on  the 
excellence  of  their  compositions.  The  competitors,  who  were  awarded 
the  prizes  in  the  order  named  below,  are  journeymen  in  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  Edgbaston,  being  respectively  Messrs.  E.  H.  Wilson,  Charles 
Baffin,  and  Frederick  Cox.  Mr.  Latham  expressed  the  great  pleasure  it 
afforded  him  to  And  that  his  three  proteges  had  so  successfully  acquitted 
themselves,  lie  especially  commented  upon  the  proficiency  of  the  first 
prizeman  as  a  botanical  student,  through  which  he  has  received  an 
appointment  at  the  Eoyal  Gardens,  Kew,  He  had  also  been  the  recent 
successful  competitor  for  the  “  Morley  memorial  prize  for  field  botany  ’’ 
and  “  the  Queen’s  prize  for  advanced  systematic  botany.”  The  meeting 
was  rendered  further  interesting  by  the  contribution  of  several  species 
of  exotic  Ferns,  amongst  which  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Stag’s  Horn 
Fern  (Platycerium  alcicorne)  growing  on  a  block  of  cork  wood,  by  Mr, 
C.  H.  Bick,  gardener  to  Mr.  Walter  Chamberlain  of  Har’oorne  Hall.  The 
meeting  terminated  with  the  nomination  of  members  for  the  ensuing 
year’s  Committee, 
- —  Taunton  Horticultural  Society. — A  congratulatory  note 
prevailed  throughout  the  proceedings  of  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
members  of  the  Taunton  Horticultural  Society,  held  on  Wednesday, 
December  16th.  The  gate  receipts  on  the  occasion  of  the  last  show 
reached  a  record,  and  the  present  balance  in  hand  was  announced  as 
£80  19.-!.  4d,,  compared  with  £17  193.  2d.  left  over  last  year.  Formerly 
the  secretarial  duties  were  voluntarily  rendered  by  Messrs.  Maynard 
and  Hammett,  but  no  society  can  calculate  upon  uninterrupted  assist¬ 
ance  of  this  kind,  and  when  the  gentlemen  named  felt  that  the  time  had 
arrived  for  discontinuing  their  labours  these  were  undertaken  by  a 
professional  accountant,  Mr.  Winsor,  to  whom  an  honorarium  of  £10 
was  granted  ;  that  amount,  at  the  recent  meeting,  was  doubled.  Certain 
suggestions  with  regard  to  the  future  received  attention.  The  remarks 
of  the  Mayor,  when  reviewing  the  position  of  the  Society  from  the 
general  standpoint,  were  eminently  to  the  purpose.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
exaggerate  the  significance  of  past  successee,  even  when  followed  by  an 
exceptionally  prosperous  year.  All  shows,  as  Alderman  Lock  pointed 
out,  are  liable  to  suffer  from  adverse  influences,  and  ic  is  proper,  there¬ 
fore,  to  secure  a  good  reserve  fund  in  order  to  meet  any  unpleasant 
experience*  which  the  future  may  have  in  store.  To  the  fund  already 
in  existence  another  £60  was  added  before  the  termination  of  the  pro¬ 
ceedings — a  precautionary  step  which,  though  limiting  the  spending 
powers  of  the  executive  for  the  purpose  of  contemplated  improvements, 
will  be  unanimously  approved  by  the  subscribers,  and,  indeed,  by  all 
persons  interested  in  the  maintenance  of  the  excellent  reputation  of  the 
Societj Somerset  Couuty  Gazette,") 
-  Flora  of  Makua.— Makua  is  a  part  of  Portuguese  East 
Africa  that  abounds  in  trees  which  yield  fragrant  balsams  and  resins, 
particularly  of  thq  Natural  Order  Amyridacm  (Burseraceae).  In  a 
descriptive  letter  written  by  Mr,  Daniel  Grove,  an  African  explorer,  at 
the  invitation  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  Lisbon,  he  states  ; — 
”  Makua  is  prolific  in  a  variety  of  odoriferous  drugs,  from  myrrh  and 
frankincense  to  asafoetida.  The  higher  lands,  like  the  Lakes  Highlands, 
are  adapted  to  the  growth  of  Coffee,  Acacias  and  Mimosas  are  by  no 
means  plentiful.  Plants  of  the  Order  Scitaminise  are  abundant — 
ginger,  galangal,  turmeric,  and  other  valuable  articles  of  commerce, 
among  which,  not  the  least  important,  is  a  kind  of  arrowroot,  very 
palatable  and  wholesome.  Its  leguminous  plants  are  also  very  numerous, 
both  herbaceous  and  shrubby  or  arborescent,  many  of  them  exhibiting 
great  beauty  of  foliage  and  splendour  of  flowers,  some  producing 
useful  kinds  of  pulse,  others  timber,  and  gum.  Medicinal  plants 
belonging  to  the  Makua  flora  are  very  numerous,  as  are  also  those  of  the 
dyewood  j  and  it  abounds  in  fruits,  of  which  the  Mango  and  Cuchu 
may  be  particularly  mentioned.  Palms  are  numerous,  the  Cocoa-nut 
being  found  all  along  the  coast. 
HORTICULTURAL  EXHIBITORS  AND  RAILWAY 
FARES. 
Interest  in  this  question  is  started  and  I  hope  will  be  followed  up, 
as  I  think  if  the  railway  companies  were  approached  by  the  R.H.S.,  the 
N.R.S.,  the  N.D.S.,  the  N.C.S.,  and  other  societies  a  concession  would  be 
made  to  exhibitors,  similar  to  anglers,  on  production  of  their  club  tablet 
or  ticket.  Anglers  are  allowed  by  the  Midland  and  Great  Western 
Railway  Companies  return  tickets  at  about  single  fares. 
Exhibitors  at  flower  shows  assist  railway  companies  by  drawing  many 
excursionists  to  them.  It  is  too  expensive  for  many  amateurs  (would-be 
exhibitors)  to  pay  full  fares  lor  himself  and  assistant  for  long  distances. 
In  the  Rose  season,  for  instance,  one  person  cannot  well  manage  the 
moving  of  three  or  four  boxes  from  station  to  show  ground  and  back 
again.  If  the  railway  companies  entertain  the  suggestion  it  would 
induce  more  amateur  e.xhibitor8  to  attend  the  principal  exhibitions 
of  their  favourite  flowers  held  at  the  R.H.S,  meetings,  the  Crystal 
Palace  and  the  Aquarium.  A  bona-fide  exhibitor  can  bo  known  by  his 
Rose,  Dahlia,  Chrysanthemum,  and  fruit  boxes  ;  the  plant  exhibitor  by  his 
plants  ;  therefore,  I  believe,  if  the  various  horticultural  societies  can  be 
induced  to  act  together  in  the  matter  no  doubt  the  railway  companies 
would  favourably  entertain  the  application.  I  notice  the  letter  of 
“  M.  W.”  (page  666)  states, "  In  Ireland  an  exhibitor  can  go  to  any  show, 
on  any  railway  line,  the  double  journey  for  single  fare.”  If  in  Ireland 
why  not  in  England  and  Scotland  ? — T.  H.,  Bristol, 
HOME  OP  HORTICULTURE. 
Will  you  allow  me  to  add  to  my  former  letters  on  the  above  a  few 
further  remarks  upon  finance  ?  It  is  desirable  to  create  and  foster 
interest  in  every  department  of  the  horticultural  community — the  trade, 
the  employers  of  labour,  the  gardeners,  the  amateurs,  and  the  cottagers. 
As  I  have  already  stated,  the  Rose  and  other  floral  festivals  held 
about  the  middle  of  June  (as  near  the  20th  as  convenient),  would,  in  my 
judgment,  be  a  most  appropriate  celebration  in  which  all  could  take  part. 
The  trade,  I  would  suggest,  who  derive  their  income  from  the  gardening 
body,  might  take  the  initiative,  and  subscribe,  say,  £1000  to  be  dis¬ 
tributed  in  prizes  to  those  societies  which  would  be  represented  by  a  life 
governor  or  an  associate.  If  their  co-operation  can  be  obtained  for 
carrying  out  ray  scheme,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  offer  £100  towards  this 
fund,  and  believe  another  four  hundred  would  be  forthcoming  from  four 
other  firms.  Surelj,  amongst  all  our  large  and  wealthy  trade  com¬ 
munity  ten  other  sums  of  £50  each  can  be  relied  upon,  thus  making 
The  assistance  of  gardeners  might  be  solicited  through  the  post, 
collecting  cards  beiug  sent  to  them,  prizes  being  offered  for  the  largest 
amount  so  collected.  Collectors  might  also  ballot  for  a  certain  number 
of  their  fellow  collectors  to  be  elected  as  associates  without  payment, 
thus  assuring  a  thoroughly  representative  council  ;  also  all  collectors  of 
over  £3  to  be  entitled  to  a  free  membership  (first  year  with  all  its 
privileges).  *  j  - 
A  oordiafl  response  from  noblemen  and  gentlemen  interestea  m 
horticulture,  amateurs  and  cottagers  would,  it  is  confidently  anticipated, 
result  from  a  special  appeal  by  the  horticultural  press,  particularly  u 
the  papers  would  receive  donations  and  acknowledge  them  in  their 
columns. 
I  offer  these  suggestions  entirely  because  no  one  else  appears  to  come 
forward  with  a  definite  scheme  worthy  of  the  occasion.  The  forthconaing 
event  is  too  important  to  pass  unnoticed.  Celebrations  and  festivities 
of  all  kinds  will  be  held  all  over  the  kingdom.  Shall  horticulture  be 
silent? 
Will  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  kindly  consider  these  sug¬ 
gestion*  ?  They  are  not  made  with  the  idea  of  forming  a  rival  institotion, 
but  establishing  a  home  in  which  all  interests  should  be 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  would  naturally  be  the  head  of  it.  Wil. 
they,  therefore,  take  the  lead  ? — James  L,  Woodi 
