May  15,  190?. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
427 
Appointments. 
A.  D.  Hall,  Esq.,  Principal  of  the  South-Eastern  Agricultural 
College,  Wye.  Kent,  has  been  offered,  and  accepted,  the  position 
so  long  occupied  at  Rothanistead  by  the  late  Sir  J.  H. 
Gilbert,  Bart.  *  *  Mr.  William  Sibbald,  for  the  last  three 
years  foreman  at  Ballikinrain  Castle  Gardens,  Balfron,  Scotland, 
has  been  appointed  head  gardener  to  Lord  Buckinghamshire, 
Fordell,  Fife,  Scotland.  He  takes  up  his  duties  on  the  29th  of 
the  month. 
Bentle  ’s  Mildew  Sp?cific. 
In  your  isstie  of  the  Journal  of  the  8th  inst.,  page  407,  your 
correspondent  “  R.  P.  R.,”  in  his  observations  on  the  lecture  given 
by  me  before  the  mendjers  of  the  Liverpool  branch  of  the  National 
Amateur  Gardener.s’  Association,  says;  “Touching  the  question 
of  mildew,  he  advocated  as  the  best  remedy  Bentley’s  sulphide  of 
potassium.”  I  did  certainly  mention  sulphide  of  potassium,  but 
not  as  the  best  remedy.  What  I  particularly  recommended  was 
Bentley’s  Mildew  Specific,  which  does  not  leave  any  objectionable 
markings  on  paint,  &c.,  as  does  the  sulphide. — B.  A.,  Lathom 
Park  Gardens,  Ormskirk. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. 
The  usual  monthly  committee  meeting  of  this  Society  was 
held  at  the  Caledonian  Hotel.  Adelphi  Terrace,  Strand,  on 
Monday  evening  last,  Mr.  Jo.seph  Wheeler  in  the  chair.  The 
minute.s;  of  the  last  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed.  Niue  new 
members  were  elected,  making  fifty-three  this  year.  Three 
members  were  reported  on  the  Sick  Fund.  The  death  certificate 
cf  the  late  Mr.  John  Crawford  was  produced,  and  £18  Is.  lid., 
being  the  amount  .standing  to  the  late  membeFs  credit,  was  voted 
to  the  widow,  also  a  cheque  for  £o  from  the  Benevolent  Fund,  this 
being  considered  a  very  urgent  and  deserving  case  for  assistance. 
The  annual  premium  for  the  secretary’s  guarantee  was  directed 
to  be  paid  ;  an  order  was  also  granted  for  new  contribution  books, 
cordial  vote  of  thanks  to  the  chairman  ended  the  meeting. 
Library  of  Park  Literature 
George  A.  Parker,  superintendent  of  Keney  Park,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  U.S.A.,  .says  an  exchange,  has  been  collecting  and  com¬ 
piling  park  reports  and  valuable  park  statistics  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  now  possesses  what  is  unque.stionably  the  most 
extensive  special  library  of  this  class  of  literature  in  the  world. 
Mr.  Parker  is  qn  enthusiast  in  this  .sort  of  work,  which  is, 
indeed,  a  labour  of  love,  his  only  object  in  getting  together  this 
vast  amount  of  material  being  the  ambition  to  preserve  it  in  such 
a  complete  and  practical  .shape  that  it  .shall  be  readily  available 
fcr  reference  or  educational  irses.  The  library,  which  is  rapidly 
groAving,  now  almost  fills  tAvo  large  rooms.  Everything  is 
clas.sified  in  the  most  sy.stematic  manner.  Painstaking  mdusti-j^ 
and  a  rare  aptitude  for  such  methodical  Avork  are  plainly  evident. 
Mr.  Parker  is  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  AuAerican  Park 
and  Outdoor  Art  Association  on  Park  Census,  and  is  also  .secretaiw’ 
of  the  Association  of  Noav  England  Park  Superiiiteudents. 
Losses  from  Plant  Diseases. 
Enormous  losses  are  incurred  every  year  by  the  diseases  of 
plants.  Ireland’s  Potato  blight  brought  ruin  and  famine.  The 
remedy  for  that  trouble  is  probably  the  selection  of  the  fitte.st 
varieties,  aiid  occasional  change  of  these.  It  is  reckoned  that  th« 
Wheat  rust  co.sts  Australia  £3.000,000  annually.  In  1882  the 
Hop-aphis  lost  to  Kent  and  Sussex  about  as  much  ;  in  India  the 
same  enemy  is  responsible  for  £90,000,000  damage  year  by  year. 
Incalculable  losses  Avere  caused  to  France  by  the  phylloxera. 
Ceylon’s  coffee  industry  Avas  ruined  by  a  leaf  disease,  and  America 
u.sed  to  suffer  from  imsect  maladies  to  the  extent  of  forty  to  sixty 
millions  sterling  per  annum.  But  the  Americans  have  vigorou.sly 
combated  the  foe,  much  to  their  advantage.  They  spend  £(>00,000 
a  year,  employ  a  large  .staff  of  experts,  and  prevent  and  extirpate 
epidemics.  Mr.  J.  B.  Carruthers  pleads  in  the  current  number 
of  the  “  Contemporary  RevieAv  ”  for  mare  plant  sanitation  in  this 
country.  “  The  mortality  in  human  beings  and  domesticated 
animals  Avould  be  far  higher  in  Britain  if  the  laAvs  Avith  regard  to 
notification  and  treatuient  of  fever,  small-pox,  pleuro-pneumouia 
in  cattle,  SAA'ine  fever,  Ac.,  Avere  not  enforced.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  if  the  Board  of  Agriculture  initiated  similar  measures 
to  protect  crops,  in  a  short  time  those  benefited  Avould  recognise 
their  value,  jmst  as  has  occurred  in  other  countries.” 
Weatker  In  the  North 
'I  he  AA’ind  during  the  past  Aveek  remained  almost  persistently 
ill  the  north  and  north-east.  On  tAvo  mornings  the  hills  around 
AA’ere  Avhitened  Avell  doAvu  their  slopes,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
loth  4deg  of  frost  AA  ere  registered,  Avith  very  dense  rime.  From 
some  quarters  8deg  and  lOdeg  are  reported  on  the  .same  date. 
Sunday  and  Monday,  as  Avell  as  Tuesday  moimiug,  although  bright 
Avere  bitterly  cold. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
Royal  Meteorological  Society. 
At  the  ordinary  meeting  to  be  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  .society, 
70,  Victoria  Street,  Westaninster,  S.W.,  on  Wednesday,  the 
21st  inst.,  at  4.30  p.m.,  the  following  papers  will  be  read  ;  “  Report 
on  the  Wind  Force  Experiments  on  H.M.S.  Worcester  and  at 
Stoneness  Lighthouse,”  by  M’.  H.  Dines  (President  of  the  Royal 
Meteorological  Society)  and  Captain  D.  Wilson-Barker,  F.R.S.E.  ; 
“  The  Cornish  Dust  Fall  of  January,  1902,”  by  Hugh  Robert 
Mill,  D.Sc.,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.E.  Tea  and  coffee  will  be  served  from 
4  to  4.30  p.m. — W.  Marriott,  Assistant  Secretary. 
Sussex  Weather. 
The  total  rainfall  for  the  past  month  at  Abbots  Leigh,  Hay- 
AA’ard’s  Heath,  Avas  1.03in,  being  0.68in  beloAv  the  average.  The 
heaviest  fall  was  0.37in  on  the  22nd.  Rain  fell  on  nine  days. 
The  maximum  temperature  AA-as  67deg  on  the  2oth,  the  minimum 
28deg  on  the  7th.  Mean  maximum,  o6.2odeg:  mean  minimum, 
37.13deg;  mean  temperature,  46.69deg.  Avhich  is  0.43deg  below 
the  average.  With  the  exception  of  a  short  period,  from  16th 
to  2oth,  this  month  has  been  di’^'  and  cold,  the  Avind  bloAving 
from  the  north  eighteen  days.  Frost  was  registered  on  six 
mornings,  but,  Avith  the  dry  state  of  the  atmosphere,  no  harm 
has  been  done.  May  ha.s  come  in  a  little  more  unsettled,  Avith 
.some  slight  shoAver.s  on  the  2ud. — R.  I. 
Publications  Received. 
“Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Gardening,”  Part  12,  7d.  net.  This 
part  begins  at  Mammillaria,  and  ends  at  Mutisia.  A  coloured 
plate  of Strelitzia  reginee  provides  a  frontispiece.  *  *  “Journal 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  Western  Australia,”  Vol.  5, 
Part  3.  Chief  contents:  “  Orange  Thrips,’’  “Insectivorous  Birds 
of  W.A.,”  “Cheese-making,”  “Feeding  Poultry.”  “Fremantle 
Fruit  Sheds,”  Ac.  *  »  <•  The  Tropical  Agriculturist,”  April, 
1902.  Contains  an  immense  variety  of  useful  matter.  *  * 
“  The  Canadian  Horticulturist.”  Special  features:  “Co-operative 
Cold  Storage,”  “  San  Jose  Scale,”  “  Pears  for  Export,”  “  Plum-tree 
Gall-mite.”  *  *  Regi.ster  of  nunseries,  market  gai’dens,  farms, 
florists’  seed  businesses  and  partnerships  to  be  let  or  .sold  by 
Messrs.  Protheroe  and  Morris,  67  and  68,  Cheapside,  E.C.,  May, 
1902.  *  *  “  Le  Moniteur  d’Horticulture,”  May  10,  contains  a 
coloured  plate  of  Rose,  La  Heine  des  Neiges.  *  *  “  Journal  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  Victoria,”  March,  vol.  1,  part  3. 
Principal  contents:  Daii'y  bacteriolog.y,  spi-aying  and  cleansing 
fruit  trees,  advice  to  Tobacco  groAvers,  Peach  leaf  curl,  “  Shot- 
hole  ”  and  “Scab,”  Lucerne,  Ac.,  Ac. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultuial  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chiswick — 
height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass, 
1902. 
May. 
At  9  A. 51. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
CO 
01 
►H 
OD 
O 
s 
o 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunlay  .. 
4 
N.W. 
46-7 
43-8 
54-4 
380 
0-05 
47-5 
49-2 
48-7 
31-8 
Monday  .. 
5 
W.S.  W  . 
47  7 
44-7 
53-8 
34-5 
0-03 
48  4 
49-2 
48-7 
25-4 
Tuesday  . 
6 
N.W. 
409 
38-8 
50-4 
32-3 
— 
48-2 
49-0 
48-7 
24-8 
Wed’sday 
7 
N. 
42-6 
39-5 
50-9 
34'2 
006 
47-8 
48-9 
48-7 
2A-8 
Thursday 
8 
N.N.E. 
45-9 
42-4 
5l-l 
38-5 
004 
47-8 
48-7 
48-6 
27T 
Friday 
9 
N.N.E. 
44-4 
40-4 
52T 
34-5 
0-11 
47-3 
48-5 
48-6 
24-6 
Saturday 
10 
N.N.E. 
44-6 
40-2 
52-4 
34-2 
47-5 
48-4 
48-4 
2Gb 
Total. 
Means 
44-7 
41-4 
52-2 
35-2 
0-29 
47-8 
48-8 
48-6 
26-9 
'rhe  Aveather  during  the  Aveek  has  been  dull,  showery,  and  very  w  hk 
