20 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENEB. 
January  2,  1902. 
morning  according  to  the  outside  temperature,  increasing  the 
supply  as  tlie  sun  rose,  shutting  up  the  house  early  in  the  after¬ 
noon.  If  the  plants  umre  well  looked  after  during  the  first  six 
weeks  or  two  months  there  was  not  much  danger  of  their  being 
attacked  by  fly  or  any  other  pests.  A  rather  long  and  eminently 
practical  discussion  took  place,  many  valuable  hints  being  given 
on  the  growing  of  Melons  and  Cucumbers.  There-  was  an 
exceedingly  keen  competition  for  the  best  three  roots  of  Beet, 
all  the  specimens  being  very  fine.  The  entries  numbered  nine, 
and  the  prizes  were  awarded  as  follows  ; — 1,  Mr.  E.  C.  Cole,  gar¬ 
dener  to  Mr.  Heberden,  C.B.  ;  2,  Mr.  J.  Baker,  gardener  to  Mr. 
Bradley  Rowe ;  3,  Mr.  J.  Langdon,  Parr  Street.  Votes  of 
thanks  were  accorded  Mr.  Baker  for  his  paper,  and  Mr.  James 
Weeks,  of  Stoke  House  Gardens,  for  presiding. — (“  Devon  and 
Exeter  Gazette.”) 
Bristol  Gardeners’  Association. 
The  first  annual  dinner  of  this  association  took  place  on 
Thursday,  December  19,  at  St.  Stephen’s  Restaurant,  Bristol, 
and  was  in  every  respect  a  most  successful  and  enjoyable  one. 
Sixty-seven  members  and  friends  sat  down,  including  several 
visitors  from  other  societies,  under  the  able  and  genial  chair¬ 
manship  of  W.  A.  Garaway,  Esq.,  of  Messrs.  Garaway  and  Co., 
Durdham  Down  Nurseries.  The  chairman  proposed  the  loyal 
toasts,  and  after  the  singing  of  the  National  Anthem,  Mr. 
Brooks  gave  “  The  Army  and  Navy,”  Mr.  John  Bradner  respond¬ 
ing.  The _  toast  of  the  evening,  to  the  “Bristol  and  District 
Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Association,”  was  then  given 
by  the  chairman.  In  an  eloquent  address  he  stated  what  useful 
and  excellent  work  this  society  is  doing.  Eighteen  lectures  by 
practical  horticulturists  are  given  throughout  the  year,  from 
which  members  were  able  to  carry  away  valuable  information, 
which  not  only  made  them  better  qualified  gardeners,  but  more 
valuable  servants,  and  he  urged  all  lovers  of  gardens  around 
Bristol  to  connect  themselves  with  this  association.  The  asso¬ 
ciation  had  made  rapid  strides  since  its  formation,  having  now 
a  membership  of  considerably  over  100  members.  Mr.  Binfield, 
vice-chairman  of  the  association,  suitably  replied.  Mr.  H. 
Kitley  then  gave  “Kindred  Societies,”  which  was  well  re¬ 
ceived,  and  responded  to  by  Messrs.  Poole,  Vallanoe,  and  Mel¬ 
ville.  “The  Horticultural  Trade  ”  being  the  next  toast,  Mr.  W. 
Ellis  Groves,  the  energetic  secretary  of  the  society,  remarked 
on  the  help  the  association  had  received  from  the  local  nursery¬ 
men,  by  valuable  prizes  given  at  numerous  meetings,  and  by 
making  known  the  objects  of  the  society  to  the  gardening  fra^ 
ternity  of  the  district.  Mr.  Parker,  responding,  offered  to  the 
committee  a  prize  for  the  two  best  essays  on  “  The  Eucharis.” 
Mr.  Lee  proposed  “  The  Visitors,”  and  Mr.  Harris  responded. 
The  enjoyment  of  the  evening  was  much  enhanced  by  Messrs. 
Percy  Smith,  Parkman,  Bradner,  Maddocks,  Melville,  Perry, 
and  Kitley,  who  rendered  some  excellent  songs.  On  the  motion 
of  Mr.  Binfield,  seconded  by  Mr.  Mehdlle,  the  hearty  vote  of 
thanks  of  the  meeting  was  accorded  the  chairman  with  musical 
honours,  for  the  very  great  help  the  society  had  received  from 
his  hands  financially  and  otherwise,  and  who  had  been  so  willing 
at  all  times  to  assist  the  association.  The  singing  of  “Auld 
Lang  Syne  ”  and  the  rendering  of  “  God  Save  the  King  ”  brought 
to  a  close  a  most  enjoyable  evening. — H.  K. 
Shirley  Gardeners’  Association. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  above  association,  held  at 
the  Parish  Room  on  Monday,  December  16,  Mr.  E.  J.  Wilcox, 
of  Tile  Gardens,  Aldermoor  House,  gave  a.  lecture  on  “Some 
Familiar  Wild  Birds,”  with  special  reference  to  the  good  and 
harm  they  do.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams  presided.  The  secretary,  Mr. 
J.  Miles,  read  a  letter  apologising  for  the  non-attendance  of  Mr. 
J.  King  Allen.  Mr.  Wilcox’s  lecture  was  full  of  importance  and 
interest  to  the  gardener  and  farmer,  as  the  wild  birds  formed  a 
far  more*  important  place  in  the  economy  of  Nature  than  most 
of  them  thought.  He  expressed  himself  strongly  in  sympathy 
with  the  Wild  Birds’  Protection  Act,  especially  as  regards  the 
rarer  birds,  and  was  glad  to  find  that  the  Society  for  the  Protec¬ 
tion  of  Birds  had  this  year  offered  prizes  of  £5  and  £10  for  the 
most  useful  papers  upon  the  best  means  of  establishing  a  “  Bird 
and  Arbour  Day  ”  in  England.  Birds  seem  to  be  gifted  with 
voracious  appetites,  and  were  said  to  eat  per  day  more  than 
their  own  weight  in  food.  Though  all  birds  have  not  such  appe¬ 
tites,  they  have  all  good  ones,  and  it  was  fortunate  they  had, 
when  they  came  to  consider  the  great  variety  of  insect  life  in 
the  air  and  ground.  The  lecturer  classed  the  birds  under  three 
different  heads:  VIZ.,  seed-eaters,  insect-eaters,  and  birds  of 
prey.  Ihe  bullfinch,  he  said,  was  very  useful  in  destroying 
vmed  seeds,  but  it  was  very  troublesome  to  the  fruit  grower  in 
destroying  the  buds  in  winter  and  spring.  The  chaffinch  is  also 
a  seed  and  bud  eater;  also  the  greenfinch  and  sparrow.  As 
in^ct-eaters,  Mr.  Wilcox  named  the  goldfinch,  yellowhamnier, 
robin,  martin,  swallows,  linnet,  tits,  woodpecker,  Ac.  The 
starling  was  a  bird  against  which  little  could  be  said  except  that 
it  helped  itself  to  a  Cherry  or  two.  Birds  of  prey  are :  the  owl 
(this  is  a  friend  to  the  gardener,  inasmuch  that  he  catches  mice, 
Ac.),  the  hawk,  kestrel,  magpie  (which  is  very  fond  of  green 
Peas),  jay,  Ac.,  were  all  friends  in  their  way,  by  keeping 
down  the  number  of  smaller  birds.  A  vote  of  thanks,  proposed 
by  Major  Douglas,  R.E.,  seconded  by  Mr.  Thorn,  to  Mr.  Wilcox 
for  the  most  able  lecture  brought  a  very  instructive  , evening  to 
a  close.  Mr.  Wilcox  gained  the  society’s  certificate  of  merit  for 
Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine. — J.  M. 
Pear,  General  Waucliope. 
A  late-keeping  seedling  Pear,  with  every  circumstance  of 
being  a  valuable  addition  to  the  list  of  dessert  varieties.  The 
illustration  is  from  a  sketch  by  our  artist,  Mr.  George  Shayler, 
and  is  true  in  size  and  general  appearance.  The  skin  is  greenish 
yellow,  flesh  soft,  juicy,  and  melting.  The  flavour  certainly 
partakes  of  Ne  Plus  Meuris,  which,  with  Duchesse  d’Angouleme 
Pear,  General  Wauchope. 
variety,  were  the  parents.  The  raiser  was  Mr.  Charles  Ross, 
gardener  to  Captain  Carstairs,  at  Welford  Park,  and  whose 
portrait  we  gave  in  our  issue  for  October  10,  1901.  He  has 
raised  some  fine  seedling  Apples,  but  seems  not  to  have  devoted 
h  s  attention  to  them  exclusively.  The  Fruit  Committee  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  gave  this  Pear  an  Award  of  Merit  at 
the  meeting  of  December  17,  when  it  was  at  its  best.  It  is 
named  after  the  famous  Scottish  General  who  gallantly  fell,  a 
little  over  a  year  ago,  before  Cronje’s  guns  at  Magersfontein. 
PUBLICATIONS  RECEIVED.  —  “  Crampton’s  Magazine;”  a 
literary  magazine  of  excellence  :  new  story,  entitled  “  Johanna,”  by 
Mrs.  B.  M.  Croker.  January,  1902  ;  London.  Price  6d.  *  * 
“  Journal  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  Western  Australia:  ” 
articles  on  Vine-growing  in  Bordeaux ;  Insectivorous  Birds  of  W.A. ; 
Woodiness  in  the  Passion  Fi’uit ;  How  to  get  lad  of  the  Woolly  Aphis  ; 
The  Future  of  the  Fruit  Industry  ;  Ac.  *  “  The  Tropical  Agri¬ 
culturist.”  *  *  “  Bulletin  of  New  York  Botanical  Garden,”  issued 
May  27,  1901 ;  vol.  2  ;  No.  6.  We  will  have  occasion  to  make  further 
note  of  this.  *  *  “  Pacific  Fruit  World,” 
