August  29,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society. — The  annual  exhibition 
will  take  plsceat  the  Cutlers’  Hall,  Sheffield,  on  Friday  and  Saturday, 
November  15th  and  16th. — W.  Housley,  Secretary. 
Death  of  Monsieur  Douls  Cusln. — M.  Louis  Antoine  Cnsin 
died  at  Villeurbanne,  Lyon,  on  the  1st  of  August,  aged  seventy-seven 
years.  He  was  well  known  as  a  botanist  at  Lyon,  and  held  the 
professorship  of  the  School  of  Agriculture  there.  He  was  furthermore 
general  secretary  to  the  Rhone  Horticultural  Sooiety,  and  ex-president 
of  the  Botanical  Sooiety  of  the  same  region.  M.  Cusin,  however, 
specially  devoted  his  energies  to  the  Pomological  Society,  of  which  he 
was  also  general  secretary. 
French  Honours  to  Mr.  Martin  J.  Sutton. — On  behalf  of 
his  Excellency,  M.  Cambon,  the  French  Ambassador  (reports  the 
"Times”  of  August  21st),  M.  Rey,  Offioier  d’Academie,  yesterday> 
at  the  Abbey  Hall,  Reading,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assembly, 
presented  to  Mr.  Martin  J.  SuttoD,  head  of  the  firm  of  Sutton  &  Sons, 
the  insignia  of  the  Ordre  du  Merite  Agricole  as  a  further  recognition 
by  the  French  Government  of  Mr.  Sutton’s  successful  efforts  in  the 
improvement  of  grass  and  arable  husbandry  in  France  and  England, 
and  especially  in  the  advancement  of  agricultural  education  in  both 
countries.  Mr.  Sutton  was  decorated  with  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honour  by  the  President  of  the  French  Republic  in  1878  for  inter¬ 
national  services  rendered  to  agriculture. 
I>egal  Motes. — Rights  of  Property  In  Mushrooms. — An 
interesting  question  was  raised  in  the  Jedburgh  Sheriff  Court  the 
other  day,  when  some  young  men  were  charged  with  stealing  Mush¬ 
rooms  from  a  field.  For  the  accused  it  was  urged  that  the  complaint 
was  irrelevant,  on  the  ground  that  taking  Mushrooms  was  not  a  crime 
known  to  the  law  of  Scotland,  and  Mushrooms  were  not  an  industrial 
crop.  Sheriff  Campbell  overruled  this  objection.  He  said  that  when 
things  like  Mushrooms  were  private  property  and  possessed  a  market 
value  they  were  under  the  protection  of  the  law,  criminal  and  civil. 
On  the  lines  of  existing  authorities  he  oould  not  doubt  that  Mushrooms 
were  private  property,  whether  of  the  andlord  or  tenant  who  paid  the 
rent.  The  reason  why  no  precedent  for  the  charge  had  been  quoted 
might  be  that  owners  and  ocoupiers  had  not  thought  it  worth  while 
hitherto  to  put  the  criminal  law  in  motion.  No  penalty  was  imposed, 
the  Procurator- Fiscal  stating  that  he  wanted  only  a  judgment  on  the 
point. 
Tlie  Burghley  Park  Trees. — The  members  of  the  English 
Arborioultural  Society,  when  holding  their  annual  meetings  two 
weeks  ago  at  Peterborough,  under  the  presidency  of  Professor 
Somerville  of  Cambridge  University,  visited  Burghley  Park,  the 
Marquis  of  Exeter’s  seat  at  Stamford.  The  park,  which  is  1500  acres 
in  extent  and  seven  miles  in  circumference,  is  very  well  wooded,  aod 
oontains  some  stately  Oaks  and  fine  specimens  of  Beech,  Larch, 
Ash,  &o.  One  fine  Oak  was  measured  up  as  containing  400  cubic  feet 
of  timber,  and  the  “  King  Tree,”  so  called  because  it  is  the  straightest 
and  oleanest  in  the  park,  measures  422  cubic  feet,  and  shows  no  sign  of 
decay,  though  over  300  years  old.  Half-a-dozen  instances  were  given 
of  Burghley  Oaks  making  of  late  years  over  £70,  in  one  instance  £81 
being  reached.  The  visitors  were  naturally  interested  (says  the 
“  Westminster  Gazette  ”)  in  a  Lime  tree  planted  by  Queen  Elizabeth 
in  the  west  front  of  the  mansion.  It  was  partly  blown  down  nineteen 
years  ago,  but  from  its  trunk  new  wood  has  sprung,  and  is  now  full  of 
foliage.  An  Oak  planted  by  Queen  Victoria  in  1846  on  the  south  front 
is  also  flourishing,  together  with  another  planted  by  the  Duke  of 
Clarenoe,  but  the  tree  planted  by  the  Prinoe  Consort  is  dead,  though  a 
companion  to  the  late  Queen’s  is  growing  ih  its  place.  The  historic  and 
artistic  treasures  of  the  mansion  exoited  much  admiration,  and  parti¬ 
cularly  the  unique  carving  by  Grinling  Gibbons  and  some  very  fine 
panelling,  while  a  reminiscence  of  Queen  Victoria’s  arborioultural 
pursuits  was  shown  in  a  small  wooden  spade  bearing  the  inscription, 
‘  Spade  used  by  her  Majesty  Queen  Viotoria  to  plant  an  Oak  tree  on 
the  south  front,  Burghley,  November  16th,  1846.”  The  members 
subsequently  returned  to  Peterborough,  where  the  annual  dinner  was 
held  at  night.  The  society,  as  a  result  of  its  conference,  has  decided  to 
add  to  its  standard  subjeots  for  essays  the  question  of  the  natural 
regeneration  of  Oak  and  Beech  woods  (Professor  Somerville  lamenting 
that  Nature’s  abnormal  acorn  crop  of  last  year  was  wasted),  the  relative 
durability  of  British-grown  exotic  trees,  the  management  of  young  trees 
designed  for  streets  and  avenues,  and  the  growth  and  freedom  from 
disease  of  Larches  other  than  Larix  europaoa. 
199 
Appointment. — Mr.  W.  Apted  has  been  appointed  head  gardener 
to  Mrs.  Wynn  Griffith,  Llanfair  Hall,  Carnarvon,  Wales.  He  was  lately 
with  Lady  Storey,  Westfield  House,  Lancaster. 
Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Gardening:. — Part  4  (price  7d.  net) 
of  the  above  has  been  issued.  It  starts  at  “  Bulbs  ”  and  ends  with  a 
treatment  of  the  genus  "  Cerasus,”  the  Cherry.  A  coloured  plate  of 
Kniphofia  longicollis  is  presented  with  this  part,  and,  as  usual,  there 
are  many  very  effective  illustrations. 
Fruit  Prospects  poor  In  Missouri. — From  data  collected  by 
L.  A.  Goodman  of  the  State  Horticultural  Sooiety,  it  appears  that  the 
fruit  crop  will  be  very  short,  beoause  of  protracted  drought  lasting 
about  ninety  days.  Not  only  is  the  crop  of  this  year  short,  but  Apple 
trees  show  injury.  Orohards  which  have  been  well  cultivated  are 
doing  best. 
Dangers  of  Spraying  Potatoes — An  inquest  was  held  at 
Ballymena,  co.  Antrim,  last  week  on  the  body  of  Mr.  James  Gordon 
Bailee.  The  deceased  was  engaged  in  spraying  Potatoes  on  Monday 
and  Tuesday,  and  was  taken  very  ill  on  Tuesday  night.  Two  doctors 
who  were  called  in  deposed  that  death  resulted  from  collapse 
following  an  irritant  poison,  possibly  absorbed  from  the  mixture  of 
sulphate  of  copper  used  in  spraying  machines.  The  jury  returned  a 
verdiot  in  accordance  with  the  medical  evidence. 
Secretaries  of  all  Gardening  Mutual  Improvement 
Associations  and  Societies  are  kindly  requested  to  send  address 
and  title  of  their  organisations  to  the  Editor  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  at  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street,  London,  E.C., 
for  insertion  in  the  coming  edition  of  the  “  Horticultural  Directory,” 
which  is  published  at  the  beginning  of  Deoember.  We  would  also  feel 
obliged  to  those  gardeners  who  have  changed  their  addresses  since  the 
last  publication  by  their  sending  us  notice  of  the  change.  Gardeners  or 
friends  who  know  of  ohanges  in  their  neighbourhood  might  likewise 
assist.  “  The  Horticultural  Directory  ”  has  become  the  recognised 
reliable  publication  for  the  names  and  addresses  of  gardeners,  nursery¬ 
men,  seedsmen,  curators,  &c.,  in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  we  endeavour 
yearly  to  make  this  directory  as  correct  and  complete  as  possible 
A  Sale  of  Prunes,  —  An  interesting  paragraph  appeared  in 
American  fruit  journals  under  the  title  of  “  Who  Bought  the  Prunes  ?  ” 
‘‘  So  many  as  24, 000, OCX)  lbs.  of  Prunes  were  bought,  and  attracted 
much  interest  naturally  among  the  Prune  people  of  Santa  Clara  county. 
At  the  time  of  the  sale  it  was  announced  by  thoso  directly  connected 
with  the  purchase  that  they  were  bought  through  the  Packers’ 
Company  by  eastern  dealers.  A  pretty  well  authenticated  report  stated 
that  this  enormous  quantity  of  fruit  was  really  bought  by  Porter 
Brothers,  and  that  the  check  for  50,000  dols  to  bind  the  sale  that  was 
put  up  at  the  time,  while  bearing  another  name,  was  really  the  check 
of  Porter  Brothers  Company,  who  are  known  to  all  fruit  growers  of  the 
coast  as  well  as  California.  This  company  is  the  pioneer  in  the  fruit¬ 
shipping  industry,  and  the  word  of  the  firm  is  worth  100  cents  on  the 
dollar  in  Uncle  Sam’s  gold.  What,  then,  does  this  mean  ?  It  can  only 
mean  that  when  a  firm  thoroughly  in  touch  with  commercial  conditions 
in  the  fruit  world  is  willing  to  put  its  money  in  the  product  of  the 
orohards,  there  is  profit  ahead.” 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
o 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
<D 
1901. 
rection 
Wind. 
At  9  a.m. 
Day. 
Night 
Bain. 
At 
At 
At 
s  g  § 
1 15 
August. 
Q 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest 
Lowest. 
1-ft. 
deep. 
2-ft. 
deep. 
. 
4-ft. 
deep. 
H 
Sunday  ..18 
S. 
deg. 
72  9 
deg. 
62-0 
deg. 
81-8 
deg. 
62'6 
Ins. 
deg. 
63-6 
deg. 
63-0 
deg. 
60-4 
deg. 
46-7 
Monday . .  19 
E  S.E. 
72-2 
68-0 
78-7 
63-3 
— 
65-0 
63-2 
60'4 
46-6 
Tuesday  20 
E.N.E. 
04 '7 
66-6 
722 
64-2 
— 
65-3 
63-5 
60-4 
48'6 
Wed’sday  21 
E.N.E. 
64 '9 
689 
73-0 
638 
— 
64-9 
63-5 
60’4 
440 
Thursday  22 
E.S.E. 
69-2 
66-2 
76-0 
47-4 
— 
63-8 
63-3 
60-4 
37*7 
Friday  . .  23 
E.S.E. 
69'9 
67-6 
77  3 
46-8 
— 
62-6 
63-0 
60'4 
36  9 
Saturday  24 
E.S.E. 
62-0 
69-3 
76-5 
47-2 
— 
62-0 
62-6 
60-4 
39-3 
Means  .. 
65*1 
69*1 
76-4 
60-6 
Total 
639 
63-2 
60-4 
42  8 
The  week  has  been  remarkable  for  misty  mornings  and  bright,  fine 
days,  with  light  breezes. 
