394 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  1,  1902. 
■svas  afforded  for  the  interesting  discussion  that  followed,  and 
several  questions  w’ere  satisfactorily  responded  to  by  the 
courteous  essayist.  Mr.  J.  Sceany,  gardener  to  Alderman 
Lawley  Parker,'  Edgbaston,  exhibited  a  well  grown  plant  of  his 
new  seedling  Fern,  originating  from  the  pretty  Pteris  serrulata 
Victorise,  a  decided  improvement  upon  its  progenitor,  in  having 
longer  and  more  elegant  pinnated  fronds,  which  are  neatly 
variegated,  and  the  habit  of  the  plant  altogether  superior.  A 
F.C.C.  was  unanimously  awarded  the  newcomer.  Mr.  C.  H. 
Herbert,  Sparkhill,  was' awarded  a  certificate  of  merit  for  a  w'ell 
grown  and  flowered  example  of  Mignonette  “  Machet.” 
Chester  Paxton’s  Society’s  Show. 
The  Art  Gallei-y  of  the  Grosvenor  Museum  presented  on 
'Wednesday,  April  24,  a  picturesque  appearance  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Chester  Paxton  Society’s  annual  show  of  spring  flowers. 
This  is  not  the  first  show  of  the  kind  in  Chester,  but  it  is  the 
■  The  above  drawing  represents  celts  at  various  stage.s  of  growth.  A,  very  early 
stage  ;  the  cell-walls  are  quite  thin,  and  the  protoplasm  almost  fills  the  cells. 
B,  rather  old  cell,  cell-wall  thicker,  and  vacuoles  more  numerous.  C,  older 
still ;  the  greater  part  of  the  cavity  now  forms  a  large  vacuole  ;  n,  nucleus  ; 
V,  vacuoles.  (After  Van  Tieghem.)  Magnified  several  hundred  times. 
first  that  has  been  held  in  the  Art  Gallery,  a  smaller  room  having 
in  previous  years  given  the  required  accommodation.  The  depar¬ 
ture  means,  of  course,  that  the  show  is  gradually  developing  into 
an  event  of  importance,  and  both  from  the  spectacular  point 
of  view,  and  that  of  the  convenience  of  the  public  attending  the 
exhibition,  it  met  with  warm  approval.  The  exhibits  were 
arranged  around  the  room,  and  they  just  filled  all  the  available 
space,  while  allowing  room  for  tasteful  arrangement.  The  season, 
though  rather  backward,  promised  well  for  spring  flowers  until 
Tuesday,  wben  the  heavy  dowmpour  of  rain  spoilt  a  great  many 
of  the  outdoor  varieties.  The  promoters  of  the  show  have  for¬ 
merly  been  favoured  with  a  collection  from  Eaton.  On  the 
present  occasion  this  was  absent,  but,  fortunately  for  the  show, 
there  was  a  splendid  collection  sent  by  Mr.  MacGillycuddy,  Bache 
Hall  (per  Mr.  E.  Stubbs,  gardener).  It  comprised  Star  Cinerarias, 
Daffodils,  Spiraeas,  and  F.erns,  and  the  artistic  manner  in  which 
they  were  set  out  on  green  moss,  with  here  and  there  virgin 
cork  introduced,  reflected  the  highest  credit  on  Mr.  Stubbs. 
From  Miss  Humberston,  Newton  Hall  (Mr.  R.  Wakefield, 
gardener),  there  was  a  large,  and  beautiful,  and  effectively  laid 
out  collection,  composed  of  Cinerarias,  Callas,  Camellias,  and 
Azaleas,  and  including  one  exhibit  which  was  the  sole  repre¬ 
sentative  of  its  kind  in  the  show.  This  was  a  blue  Gentian,  and 
one  of  remarkably  fine  colour. 
Perhaps  the  most  unique  collection  in  the  show  was  one  sent 
l)y  Dr.  Mules,  The  Old  Parsonage,  Gresford,  whose  fame  as  a 
cultivator  of  hardy  border  flowers  of  all  kinds  is  known  all  over 
the  country.  Specially  intei'esting  in  the  present  collection  was 
the  uncommon  yellow,  sweet-scented  Violet,  close  to  which  were 
some  deep  mauve  Primroses.  The  blue  Primula  Hepatica  and 
an  exceptionally  large  Auricula  both  attracted  considerable  atten¬ 
tion,  and  the  Daffodils,  scarlet  Anemones,  and  several  varieties 
of  hardy  Primulas  were  all  exceedingly  beautiful.  The  chief 
characteristic  of  Mrs.  Townshend  luce’s  collection  was  its  variety. 
It  inchulcd  beautiful  blooms  of  Begonias,  Forsythias,  Azaleas, 
Anemones,  and  a  vase  of  the  beautiful  blue  Browallia  speciosa, 
which  was  exceptionally  fine.  Mr.  J.  Wynne  Ffoulkes  was  repre¬ 
sented  by  a  collection  of  Narcissus,  all  of  which  were  particularly 
fine,  especially  for  a  town  garden,  and  Mrs.  Ambrose  Dixon  by 
some  beautiful  examples  of  the  popular  Star  Cineraria,  Callas, 
and  Grape  Hyacinths.  Mrs.  Willis  Taylor  and  Mr.  Ed.  Dixon 
were  both  new  exhibitors.  The  former  sent  some  fine  examples 
of  Daffodils  and  Lenten  Roses,  and  the  latter  a  pretty  collection 
composed  of  Deutzia,  Mignonette,  and  Daffodils.  A  nice  col-  j 
lection  of  Daffodils  and  Hyacinths  represented  Mr.  John  Wynne, 
of  Waverton.  Both  Messrs.  Dickson,  Limited,  and  Messrs. 
McHattie  sent  excellent  collections,  conspicuous  in  Messrs. 
Dickson’s  being  the  well-known  Sir  Watkin  Narciss,  staged  in 
fine  form,  also  other  choice  varieties,  including  Queen  of  Spain, 
Mary  Anderson,  and  Glory  of  Leiden,  each  of  which  was  much 
admired.  The  exhibit  of  Messrs.  McHattie  was  composed  of 
narned  Daffodils,  Hyaciiiths, Polyanthus,  and  a  beautiful  collection 
of  single  Anemones,  remarkably  pretty  in  colour.  For  the  success 
of  the  show  much  credit  is  due  to  Mr.  G.  P.  Miln,  who,  with 
Mr.  W.  F.  J.  Shepheard,  acted  as  hon.  secretary,  and  who  had 
the  valuable  assistance  of  the  ever-energetic  curator  of  the 
museum  (Mr.  R.  Newsteadi.  Next  year  in  all  probability  tlie 
society  will  consider  themselves  justified  in  holding  the  show  on 
a  still  larger  scale. 
Obituary. 
The  Late  Mr.  Thomas  King. 
I  am  mourning  the  loss  of  a  horticultural  friend  of  many  years’ 
standing  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Thomas  King,  who  for  the  greater 
part  of  his  lifetime  had  charge  of  the  Gardens  of  Devizes  Castle. 
On  Tue.sday,  July  lo,  he  was  qt  Trowbridge  on  business;  on  his 
return  he  complained  of  illness,  and  on  Thursday,  the  17th,  he 
died.  An  insidious  disease  had  taken  possession  of  him,  and 
gradually  obtained  the  mastery  over  a  constitution  apparently 
sound  and  robust.  He  was  sixty-seven  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  he  leaves  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  one  of 
the  latter  being  in  America.  His  wife  died  about  two  year.s  ago. 
he  felt  her  loss  severely,  and  the  depre.ssion  from  w  hich  he  suffered 
probably  accelerated  the  course  of  the  di.sease  which  finally  caused 
his  death.  He  was  an  excellent  all  round  gardener,  a  man  of 
great  integrity  and  of  cbaract eristic  amiability  and  evenness  of 
disposition.  He  Avas  greatly  respected  in  the  town  in  Avhich  he 
lived,  and  he  died  sincerely  regretted. 
Born  at  Roundway,  near  Devizes,  in  1835,  he  obtained  eniploy- 
inent  in  the  Gardens  of  Roundway  Park,  and  showed  considerable 
proficiency  in  his  Avork.  In  the  autumn  of  1860  he  Avas  offered 
and  accepted  the  charge  of  the  Gardens  of  Devize-s  Castle,  then 
the  residence  of  Mr.  R.  Valentine  Leach,  and  here  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  At  the  time  of  his  entry  upon  the  charge 
of  the.  Castle  Gardens  they  Avere  in  a  comparatively  undeveloped 
condition,  but  Avith  the  liberal  support  and  personal  interest  of 
his  employer  Mr.  King  speedily  improA’ed  matters,  and  tlie  Castle 
Gardens  soon  obtained  a  Avide  popularity  for  the  production  of 
Grapes,  especially  Black  Hamburgh  and  Muscat  of  Alexandria, 
and  I  have  seen  exhibited  by  Mr.  King  some  very  finely  finished 
bunches  of  Chasselas  Musque,  for  he  Avas  able  to  overcome  Avhat 
may  be  regarded  as  the  constitutional  tendency  of  this  Grape  to 
crack.  Peaches  and  Nectarines  Avere  also  groAvn  Avith  great 
Ten  Stages  in  the  Division  of  a  Cell. 
Successive  stages  in  nuclear  and  cell  division  ;  c,  centro.spheres  (homogenous 
spheres  lying  near  the  nucleus) ;  n,  nucleolus  (the  most  dense  part  of  the 
nucleu-!) :  s.  chromosomes  (segmented  threads) ;  spindle  fibres ;  A,  B,  C, 
chromosomes,  showing  longitudinal  division  and  the  arrangement  of  the 
chromatin,  or  granules,  x  circa  600.  (After  Strasburger.) 
