264 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER:. 
September  16,  1897/ 
Events  op  the  Week. -Metropolitan  horticulturists  at  last  have 
almost  a  week  of  rest  before  them,  for  the  exception  of  the  meeting  of 
the  Iloyal  Horticultural  Society  on  Tuesday,  September  21st,  we  know 
of  no  show  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London.  Xo  doubt  there  are  one  or 
two  provincial  fixtures,  but  of  these  we  have  had  no  notice. 
-  Weathee  in  London. —  On  the  whole  we  have  had  a  much 
finer  week,  for  which  the  late  holiday  makers  may  be  thankful.  On 
Thursday  morning  some  rain  fell,  and  the  remainder  of  the  day  was  dull 
and  heavy  ;  but  Friday  was  bright  and  quite  warm.  Saturday  was  a 
beautiful  day,  the  sun  shining  gloriously,  Sunday  also  being  fine. 
IMonday  was  quite  warm  at  times,  becoming  cooler  towards  night. 
Tuesday  opened  dull.  Wednesday  was  alternately  bright  and  cloudy. 
-  Aee  Roman  Hyacinths  Poisonous  ? — While  recently  potting 
some  Roman  Hyacinths  I  felt  an  unpleasant  itching  sensation  about  the 
arms  and  neck.  I  naturally  rubbed  the  affected  parts,  and  the  itching 
became  almost  unbearable  until  I  washed  my  face  and  arms,  when  it 
sto])ped  almost  immediately.  I  mentioned  the  incident  to  a  gardener 
friend,  who  said  he  was  always  troubled  in  a  like  manner  when  potting 
Roman  Hyacinths.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  any  of  your 
readers  have  had  similar  experience,  or  can  explain  the  reason,  and  name 
a  preventive  or  remedy. — ,1.  C.,  Lancashire. 
-  Floeilegium  Haaelemense.— We  have  referred  to  this 
admirable  publication  in  a  previous  issue,  and  have  now  received  part  4, 
which  was  published  so  long  ago  as  December,  1896.  Unfortunately 
part  3  has  not  come  to  hand,  so  that  our  sequence  of  the  plates  will  not  be 
quite  correct.  The  one  before  us  contains  Hyacinth  Ida,  beautifully 
reproduced  ;  Tulips  La  Precieuse,  Rose  Gris  de  lin,  Rosa  Mundi,  and  Rose 
Luisante,  all  on  one  plate  ;  and  a  third  of  Gladiolus  Colvilli,  with  the 
white  varieties.  The  publisher  is  Mr.  de  Erven  Loosjes,  Haarlem,  from 
whom  a  free  specimen  copy  may  be  had. 
-  Scottish  Hoeticultueal  Association. — At  the  monthly 
meeting  held  at  5,  St.  Andrew  Square,  Edinburgh,  on  Tuesday,  7th 
September,  Mr.  D.  T.  Fish  delivered  a  lecture  on  “Fruit  and  Flowers  in 
our  Home  and  in  our  Life,”  to  a  large  and  attentive  audience.  The 
lecture  falling  on  the  eve  of  the  Royal  Caledonian  Fruit  and  Flower 
Show  brought  to  the  meeting  some  English  visitors.  The  lecturer 
referred  to  the  beauty  of  spring  with  its  benefits  and  effects  on  the  human 
life,  following  with  the  fulness  of  summer  and  autumn,  the  season  of 
plenty.  The  scientific  element  was  admirably  touched  upon,  and  many 
practical  hints  were  given.  The  Chairman,  in  proposing  a  vote  of  thanks, 
alluded  to  the  labour,  study,  and  loving  energy  embodied  in  the  lecturer’s 
references.  Hearty  thanks  being  accorded,  exhibits  commented  on,  and 
next  meeting’s  subject  announced,  the  gathering  ended.— J.  H.  Dick. 
-  Some  Good  Potatoes. — In  the  finely  cultivated  soil  of  Hack- 
wood  Park,  where  rotten  leafage  plays  so  important  a  part  in  the 
fertilisation  of  the  ground.  Potatoes  always  do  well  and  give  fine  crops. 
When  there  a  few  days  since  roots  of  several  varieties  were  kindly  lifted 
for  me  to  see.  Amongst  them  were  Sutton’s  Satisfaction,  always  a  great 
crop  of  fine  tubers,  and  their  new  midseason  white  kidney  Reliance* 
This  gives  a  remarkable  root  produce,  the  tubers  being  of  true  kidney 
shape,  handsome,  and  even.  It  is  a  good  break  into  the  kidney  section 
that  is  much  needed.  Others  were  a  variety  named  Progress,  which 
gives  enormous  tops  and  huge  stems,  but  this  season,  whatever  its  general 
merits,  has  no  tubers,  being  all  root  thongs.  It  is  not  one  of  the  Reading 
varieties.  A  capital  late  variety  is  the  Saxon,  tubers  white,  pebble 
shaped,  and  handsome.  The  tops,  however,  show  unmistakeable  likeness 
to  those  of  Magnum  Bonum,  although  it  is  a  very  diverse  variety.  One 
of  the  finest  is  the  northern  “  Up  to  Date,”  a  Potato  that  will  soon  be 
universally  grown  as  a  late  garden  and  field  variety.  The  crop  at 
Hackwood  is  a  very  heavy  one,  and  not  a  tuber  lifted  showed  any  disease. 
The  tubers  are  not  unduly  large,  not  one  was  ungainly,  but  had  a  flattish 
long  shape,  something  like  that  of  the  old  Lapstone,  and  very  even.  I 
noticed  in  the  first  root  lifted,  a  capital  sample,  enough  for  two  families’ 
dinner.  No  wonder  with  such  marvellous  croppers,  as  we  see  in  this  and 
other  varieties,  that,  in  spite  of  disease.  Potatoes  are  always  so  cheap. 
Clearly  our  Potatoes  are  up  to  date.— Expeet, 
-  Gaedening  Appointments.— Mr.  W.  P.  Bound,  for  some  time- 
past  with  Messrs.  F.  Sander  &  Co.,  St.  Albans,  has  been  appointed  head 
gardener  to  Mrs.  Leveson-Gower,  Bill  HiU,  Wokingham,  Berks,  and’ 
enters  upon  his  duties  on  October  2nd.  Mr.  J.  H.  Gumming,  formerly  at 
St.  Helen’s,  Booterstown,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener  to  Lady 
Stewart,  of  Grantully  Castle,  Ballinluig,  N.B'. 
-  Allamanda  Williamsi. — There  has  long  been  blooming  a 
o  i  o 
grand  plant  of  this  delightful  Allamanda  at  Hackwood  Park,  growing 
now  in  a  14-inch  pot.  The  plant  when  I  saw  it  a  few  days  since  was,_ 
from  the  pot,  5  feet  in  height  and  6  feet  through,  being  literally  a 
mass  of  flower.  It  would  have  been  hard  for  any  other  flowering  plant 
to  have  beaten  it  in  a  specimen  competition.  Would  that  we  could  see- 
more  of  such  examples  of  plant  culture. as  this  at  the  Drill  Hall,  and 
not  so  much  of  commonplace  stuff.  This  plant  is  but  four  years  old  j. 
if  in  such  fine  form  next  year  it  should  be  worthy  of  pictorial  illus¬ 
tration. — A.  D. 
-  Hybeenation  of  Insects. — At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
American  Association  of  Economic  Entomologists  Dr.  R.  0.  Howard  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  speak¬ 
ing  of  the  effect  of  temperature  upon  the  hybernation  of  injurious 
insects,  stated  that  in  experiments  with  such  insects  in  cold  storage  a 
consecutive  cold  temperature  proved  favourable  to  successful  hybernation,  ■ 
while  a  low  temperature,  followed  by  a  high  one  with  a  return  to  a  low 
one,  almost  always  resulted  in  death  to  the  insect.  The  conclusion  is' 
that  a  steadily  cold  winter  with  a  temperature  even  much  below  the- 
average  will  usually  be  followed  by  an  abundance  of  insects,  and  that 
after  a  winter  characterised  by  alternate  cold  and  warm  spells  fewer 
individuals  will  survive. 
-  Sheffield  Cheysanthemum  Society. — A  general  meeting 
of  the  Society  was  held  on  the  8th  inst.  for  the  transaction  of  its  general 
business.  Afterwards  a  paper  on  “  Grape  Culture,”  by  Mr.  "W.  H. 
Winter,  was  read.  According  to  the  programme  of  the  Society,  a  paper 
entitled  “  Plant  Life  ”  should  have  been  given,  but  owing  to  sickness  Mr. 
Winter  was  unable  to  attend,  so  he  sent  the  one  on  Grapes,  which  was 
read  by  one  of  the  members.  The  exhibits  for  this  month  were  Cactus 
Dahlias,  and  a  capital  display  was  staged.  The  flowers  were  good  in 
size,  shape,  and  colour,  the  latter  being  attractive  by  their  variety  aqd 
brilliancy.  The  awards  were  as  follows  :  — Messrs.  J.  Needham,  G.  Smith,, 
and  C.  Scott  secured  first,  second,  and  third  prizes  in  the  professional 
section  ;  and  Messrs.  W.  Willgoose,  W.  H.  Hinchliffe,  and  H.  Broomhead 
first,  second,  and  third  prizes  in  the  amateur  section.  Mr.  J.  Haigh 
presided  over  the  meeting. 
-  Splicing  Geapes  at  the  Late  Ceystal  Palace  Show. 
— I  am  sure  the  public  and  exhibitors  generally  are  deeply  indebted 
to  Mr.  Hudson  for  detecting  and  exposing  the  fraud  at  the  above 
Show,  but  as^an  exhibitor  I  do  not  think  this  is  sufficient.  I  consider 
that  the  name  and  address  of  the  offender  should  have  been  given 
in  justice  to  others,  for  of  all  the  mean  tricks  connected  with  exhibiting 
I  contend  this  ranks  among  the  very  worst,  and  should  be  fully  exposed* 
Surely  the  innocent  exhibitor  would  not  mind  the  publication  of  his. 
name,  he  himself  knowing  nothing  about  the  splicing.  But  the  clever 
young  assistant — for  clever  he  must  be  to  deceive  his  master  as  well 
as  the  Judges  on  the  first  day  of  the  Show — should  certainly  be  taught 
better,  or  what  will  he  develop  into  later  on? — Obseevee.  [The 
exhibitor  has  now  an  opportunity  for  declaring  himself.  Some  of  the 
best  and  cleverest  men  in  the  world  have  been  the  victims  of  deception, 
from  time  to  time.] 
-  The  Hemel  Hempstead  Hoeticultueal  Society.— A 
newspaper  report  has  been  sent  to  us  of  the  thirty-eighth  annual  show 
of  this  Society.  It  was,  we  believe,  started  in  a  very  small  way  by 
Henry  Balderson,  Esq.,  a  diligent  member  of  the  Fruit  Committee  of 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  We  should  not  like  to  count  the 
classes  now,  for  the  prize  list  fills  three  long  columns  of  a  newspaper. 
There  appears  to  have  been  great  competition  in  the  floral,  fruit,  and 
vegetable  departments,  and  especially  in  the  allotments  and  cottagers’’ 
section.  Agriculture  and  apiculture  are  represented,  and  the  domestic 
arts  encouraged,  Mr.  Balderson  giving  prizes  for  needlework,  cooked 
Potatoes,  and  home-made  bread.  Great  good  must  have  been  effected  by 
the  agency  of  the  Society,  though  it  has  raised  the  price  of  bread. 
Observing  the  custom  of  the  prizegiver  in  purchasing  the  best  loaves, 
ways  and  means  have  been  found  by  the  enterprising  competitors  of 
making  him  pay  2s.  each  for  them.  However,  he  seems  to  regard  it  as 
one  of  the  good  deeds  of  “  Heavenly  ”  Hempstead,  and  looks  well  on. 
the  fare  thus  provided. 
