50 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Ju  y  15,  1897. 
-  Adorning  Liverpool. — At  Liverpool  an  interesting  experi¬ 
ment  has  been  inaugurated.  The  Chairman  of  the  Parks  and  Gardens 
Committee  of  the  Corporation  (Mr.  Ball)  has  made  a  tour  of  some  of 
the  poorest  streets,  and  has  distributed  about  500  window  boxes  and 
plants.  The  novelty  of  the  procession  (Mr.  Ball  was  accompanied  by 
large  carts  containing  the  boxes)  naturally  attracted  great  attention. 
No  difficulty  was  experienced  in  obtaining  ready  helpers  with  the  work, 
and  great  eagerness  was  displayed  by  the  inhabitants  to  become 
possessors  of  the  boxes.  These  have  been  given  gratuitously  upon  an 
undertaking  that  the  plants  and  flowers  shall  be  well  cared  for,  and  a 
notiflcation  that  if  the  gift  is  abused  it  will  be  withdrawn.  Other 
districts  please  copy  !  Such  a  scheme  will  doubtless  necessitate  some 
supervision  by  the  donors  at  the  start,  hut  it  must  ultimately  tend  to  a 
considerable  extension,  and  a  corresponding  demand  for  ail  sorts  of 
plants,  pots,  boxes,  seeds,  and  other  requirements.  What  a  rush  there 
would  be,  says  the  “  Irish  Farmers’  Gazette,”  for  those  window  boxes  if 
the  Dublin  Corporation  would  take  the  hint  thus  given  by  their  Liver¬ 
pool  brothers.  But  there,  we  have  no  Parks  and  Gardens  Committee 
here,  and  the  only  attempt  made  by  our  City  Fathers  to  encourage  a 
love  for  flowers  among  the  poorer  citizens  is  the  distribution  of  a  few 
scraggy  Geraniums  at  the  end  of  the  year,  when  they  are  practically 
worthless  to  those  on  whom  they  are  conferred. 
-  Bananas. — The  Banana  trade  of  Santiago  de  Cuba  has  been 
much  hindered  and  damaged  by  the  long-continued  war  between  the 
insurgents  and  the  Spanish  troops.  The  trade,  at  all  events  for  the 
present,  says  Consul  F.  W.  Kamsden,  may  be  considered  at  an  end  as 
far  as  regards  Baracoa,  Sama,  and  Banes,  but  Gibara  still  produces  the 
fruit.  Baracoa  in  1895  only  exported  1,019,567  bunches,  or  about  two- 
thirds  of  its  average,  this  decrease  being  due  to  the  cyclone  which  on 
September  23rd,  1894,  destroyed  a  great  many  of  the  plantations  in  the 
districts  of  Sabana  and  Gran  Tierra.  In  the  year  1895  the  Cuban 
insurgents  sacked  and  burned  the  town  of  Sabana,  causing  damage  to 
the  extent  of  about  1,000,000  dols.  The  Baracoa  crop  of  1896  has  simply 
been  allowed  to  rot  in  the  country,  as  it  has  been  impossible  to  collect 
it,  and  exports  only  amounted  to  2000  bunches,  or,  in  other  words, 
were  virtually  nil.  Banes  exported  in  1895  807,000  bunches,  and 
755,000  in  1896,  which  is  about  three-quarters  of  the  previous  crop  of 
1894  ;  but  the  place  is  now  entirely  abandoned,  having  been  evacuated 
In  August,  1896,  and  shortly  afterwards  burned  by  the  insurgents.  Sama 
is  also  abandoned,  as  far  as  the  plantations  are  concerned.  Sama 
exported  608,000  bunches  in  1895,  and  550,000  bunches  in  1896,  both  of 
which  crops  may  be  considered  as  average  ones.  Gibara  exported 
1,415,000  bunches  in  1895,  and  1,305,000  bunches  in  1896,  which  are 
also  good  average  crops,  and  which  for  the  immediate  future  are  the 
only  exports  of  this  fruit  likely  to  be  realised.  It  may  therefore  be 
considered,  says  a  contemporary,  that  the  former  total  production  of 
Bananas  on  the  north  coast  of  this  province,  amounting  in  round 
numbers  to  about  4,000,000  bunches,  will  now  become  reduced  to  one- 
quarter. 
-  The  Southampton  Horticultural  Society.— The  execu¬ 
tive  of  this  well  known  southern  Society,  in  spite  of  its  now,  in  the 
light  of  its  troubles,  absurd  prefix  ”  Eoyal,”  and  of  the  announcement 
made  with  respect  to  its  proposed  summer  Show  on  July  31st,  is  yet  an 
object  of  sincere  sympathy.  Its  former  lease  at  Westwood  having 
expired,  it  is  absolutely  without  a  habitation,  not  having  a  place 
in  which  to  hold  its  shows.  Seeing,  however,  that  the  Borough 
Corporation,  the  custodians  of  the  huge  area  of  some  300  acres  on  the 
north  of  the  town,  had  granted  the  Bath  and  West  of  England  Agricul¬ 
tural  Society  leave  last  year  to  enclose  some  30  acres  of  this  common 
to  erect  needful  sheds  for  its  Show  held  a  few  weeks  since,  the  horti¬ 
cultural  executive,  being  a  purely  Southampton  body,  naturally  thought 
that  the  Corporation  would  not  be  less  generous  in  tbeir  case,  and  grant 
not  30,  but  about  6  acres,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  their  Show  at  the 
end  of  the  present  month.  After  a  good  deal  of  equivocation,  the  assent 
was  at  last  grudgingly  given,  although  asked  for  this  one  season  only. 
As  a  consequence,  the  executive  have  issued  a  schedule,  made  all  needful 
contracts  and  engagements,  and  have  largely  advertised  the  Show  ;  but 
it  is  even  now,  at  this  moment  of  writing,  uncertain  whether  the  Show 
can  be  held  on  the  Common.  A  meeting  of  the  Corporation  will  be 
held  on  Wednesday,  July  14th,  and  a  great  effort  will  be  made  by  a 
number  of  undoubted  dog-in-the-mangerites  to  rescind  the  sanctioning 
resolution.  It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  the  Corporation  will  not  stultify 
itself  by  altering  its  previous  decision.  To  do  so  would  be  indeed  cruel 
and  vindictive.  The  inhabitants  of  the  town  have  immense  areas  for 
recreation,  and  the  enclosure  of  6  acres  on  the  Common  injures  them 
nothing,  whilst  the  Flower  Show  is  with  the  people  wonderfully  popular. 
““A.  D. 
-  Fruit  in  Surrey. — After  seeing  how  very  moderate  is  the 
fruit  crop  over  in  the  Middlesex  market  gardens  I  have  been  surprised 
to  find  that  there  are  parts  of  Surrey  where  the  crop  of  certain  fruits  is 
excellent.  Thus  the  other  day  at  Boehampton,  looking  through  Dover 
House  gardens,  I  saw  Apples  in  abundance,  hardly  a  tree  being  fruit¬ 
less.  Pears  were  thinner,  and  Plums  almost  nil.  A  day  or  two  later, 
when  looking  through  numerous  gardens  about  Reigate,  I  found  .trees 
literally  heavily  laden  with  Apples  in  all  directions.  Pears  were  fair. 
Plums  thin,  and  bush  fruits  plentiful.  Then  a  day  later,  down  in  the 
Clandon  and  Merrow  districts.  Apples  again  were  fairly  abundant,  some 
trees  very  heavily  cropped.  Pears  fairly  plentiful.  Plums  few,  and 
Gooseberries  and  Currants  in  great  abundance.  Of  these  latter  many 
bushes  in  the  cottage  gardens  were  almost  breaking  down  with  the 
weight  of  fruit.  Such  experience  naturally  renders  it  difficult  to  fairly 
estimate  the  probable  fruit  crop  of  the  season,  and  the  general  returns 
are  therefore  looked  for  with  [exceeding  interest.  With  a  season  that 
bids  fair  to  be  equal  to  the  best  of  past  seasons  in  vegetable,  corn,  and 
grass  production,  for  these  crops  in  every  direction  are  splendid,  it  will 
be  a  misfortune  if  the  fruit  crop  should  prove  to  be  really  bad  generally. 
So  far  as  Strawberries  and  Raspberries  are  concerned,  we  know  both 
crops  have  been,  or  are,  good. — A.  D. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY, 
EXAMINATION  IIJ,  HORTICULTURE.— April  6th. 
We  have  pleasure  in  placing  before  our  readers  the  list  of  candidates 
in  this  examination  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  placed  by  the 
examiners.  The  report  preceding  the  names  will  be  found  very 
interesting. 
Examiners’  Report. 
To  the  President  and  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
Gentlemen, — We  beg  leave  to  report  that  we  have  examined  the 
papers  submitted  to  us — in  all  184. 
Of  these  we  selected  89  as  worthy  to  be  placed  in  the  first  class,  55  im 
the  second,  and  28  in  the  third.  The  remainder  (12)  are  not  placed, 
the  number  of  marks  attained  being  below  100. 
The  distribution  of  the  examinees  were  169  in  England,  6  in  Scotland, 
1  in  Ireland,  1  in  Wales,  and  7  gave  no  address. 
The  present  examination  shows  a  very  considerable  improvement 
upon  the  results  of  that  held  in  1896.  This  will  be  apparent  from  the 
following  comparison  of  percentages  : — 
Those  not  classei  are  only  12  in  number,  or  nearly  one-third  of  that 
last  year  (34). 
The  percentage  of  the  third  class  (106  to  140  marks)  has  fallen  from 
32  2  (1896)  to  15  2  (1897). 
The  percentage  of  the  second  class  (150  to  199  marks)  is  nearly 
stationary — viz.,  34’8  (1896);  29  8  (1897). 
The  percentage  of  the  first  class  (200  to  300  marks)  has  made  the 
astonishing  increase  from  10  5  (1896)  to  48  3  (1897). 
These  results  are  most  encouraging.  Speaking  generally,  the  answers 
are  extremely  well  done.  The  information  is  accurate  upon  the  whole, 
and  the  subject  matter  well  expressed.  Perhaps  the  “  Practical  Horti¬ 
culture  ”  showed,  as  might  be  anticipated,  a  slight  superiority  over  the 
“  Elementary  Principles.”  George  Hbnslow. 
Jas.  Douglas. 
The  names  and  addresses  of  the  successful  candidates,  together  with 
the  marks  assigned  to  each,  are  given  in  the  following  Class  List,  to 
which  is  appended  the  questions  set  by  the  examiners  : — 
*1 
2 
2 
2 
2 
6 
7 
8 
8 
8 
11 
11 
11 
14 
15 
15 
15 
18 
19 
19 
19 
22 
22 
22 
25 
MAXIMUM  NUMBER  OF  MARKS  OBTAINABLE,  300 
First  Class. 
No.  of  marks  gained- 
H.  S.  Langford,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley 
Miss  F.  M.  Broade,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley  ... 
J.  H.  Dick,  8,  Victoria  Place,  Trinity,  Edinburgh 
F.  Isted,  Technical  Laboratory,  Chelmsford  . 
Miss  G.  Webb,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley . 
Miss  E.  Barratt,  Technical  Laboratory,  Chelmsford 
A.  J.  Cocke,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley 
Miss  0.  Field,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley . 
J.  I.  Goodlet,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley . 
H.  J.  Hickin,  Tamworth . 
H.  Reynolds,  The  Laurels,  Hayle,  Cornwall  . 
J.  Stone,  Board  School,  Tamworth  . 
Miss  F.  E.  Worland,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley  ... 
A.  D.  Hogg.  Botanical  Gardens,  Edinburgh 
F.  H.  Harris,  Technical  Laboratory,  Chelmsford 
W.  Pilcher,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley  . 
Miss  B.  S.  Watson,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley 
H.  G.  Rogers,  Rettenden,  Tldmonton  . 
C.  J.  Langley,  Technical  Laboratory,  Chelmsford 
E.  Miller,  Technical  Laboratory.  Chelmsford  . 
Miss  A.  Morison,  Horticultural  College,  Swanley 
E.  J.  Allard,  Botanical  Gardens,  Cambridge  . 
Miss  E.  Hodsoll.  Horticultural  College,  Swanley 
G.  W.  Young,  Technical  Laboratory,  Chelmsford 
A.  W.  Day,  Horticultural  School,  Holmes  Chapel,  Cheshire 
...  300 
...  288 
...  288 
...  288 
...  288 
...  286 
...  284 
...  282 
...  282 
...  282 
...  279 
...  279 
...  279 
...  276 
...  270 
...  270 
...  270 
...  267 
...  2G4 
...  204 
...  264 
...  258 
...  258 
...  2.58 
...  255- 
*  Wins  the  Society’s  silver-gilt  medal  and  Chiswick  scholarship. 
