October  3,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
311 
Strawberries  in  October. — On  Wednesday  morning  a  basket  of 
second  crop  white  Strawberries  of  the  variety  King  of  the  Earlies  was 
received  by  a  West  End  fruiterer  from  a  grower  in  the  Harrow  district. 
Tae  fruit  was  of  fair  size  and  quality. 
“Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Gardening.” — Parc  5,  price  7d.  nett,  of 
the  above  has  been  issued.  Double  tuberous  Begonia  flowers  are  the 
subject  of  the  coloured  frontispiece. 
Currants  In  Kent  on  September  19th. — A  fine  sample  of 
White  Currants,  perfectly  developed  and  ripe,  were  picked  on  Thursday ; 
September  19ch,  from  a  bush  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  Frank  Sutton, 
Harrietsham.  Such  a  perfect  sample  of  White  Currants  is  a  rarity  in 
Kent  so  late  iu  the  year.  At  .Kennington  ripe  Cherries  of  the 
Bigarreau  variety  were  gathered  last  week. 
X>egal  Notes  :  An  Orchid  Fancier’s  Bankruptcy. — At  the 
Leeds  Bankruptcy  Court  on  September  24th,  before  the  Registrar  (Mr. 
Thomas  Marshall),  James  Horatio  Rand,  provision  merchant  and 
commission  agent,  of  Cliffe  Lane,  Baildon,  appeared  for  his  adjourned 
public  examination.  The  gross  liabilities  were  returned  at  £8807  Is.  81., 
of  which  £4932  Is.  8d.,  was  unsecured,  while  the  available  assets  were 
put  down  at  £176  12s.  4d.,  leaving  a  deficiency  of  £4755  9s.  4d.  The 
debtor  attributed  his  failure  to  “  depreciation  in  value  of  property, 
money  expended  thereon  for  greenhouses  and  improvements,  bank 
oharges,  and  property  being  unlet.”  He  stated  that  he  had  Bpent  at 
least  £2000  on  Orohids  and  other  plants  which  had  sold  for  £40.  He 
had  sent  oui  to  continental  firms  a  printed  description  of  his  house 
and  grounds  at  Baildon,  which  he  stated  was  reprinted  from  a  flower 
show  catalogue.  The  examination  was  further  adjourned. 
Death  of  Sir  Grenville  Smyth — This  wealthy  landowner,  so  well 
known  in  Somerset,  died  on  Saturday  last,  at  Ashton  Court,  Long 
Ashton,  his  principal  residence.  The  deceased  will  be  missed  sorely, 
although  his  frequent  absenoe  from  home  and  his  retiring  disposition 
made  him  by  no  means  a  familiar  figure  in  local  society.  His  tenantry, 
oottagers,  and  those  em  ployed  on  the  estates  held  him  in  great  respect. 
Quiet  and  unostentatious,  he  nevertheless  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  those  who  were  in  any  way  associated  with  him,  and  that  he 
wis  not  unmindful  of  the  responsibilities  of  wealth  was  shown  by  the 
ever  ungrudging  responses  he  made  when  occasions  presented  them¬ 
selves.  A  holding  of  the  Smyth  estates  always  elicited  many  appli¬ 
cations  from  farmers  desirous  of  joining  the  tenantry.  According  to 
the  “  Bristol  Times  and  Mirror,”  Sir  Grenville  has  tenanted  Thurso 
Castle,  Caithness,  for  the  first  time  this  year.  At  different  times  he 
had  rented  Erohless  Castle,  Inverness-shire;  Ardross  Castle,  Ross- 
shire,  and  one  year  the  Duke  of  Hamilton’s  domain,  Brodick  Castle,  Isle 
of  Arran.  The  funeral,  as  matters  now  stand,  is  fixed  for  Saturday  next, 
at  three  o’clock,  at  Long  Ashton  Church. 
Wood  Paving  In  London. — Since  our  announcement  of  the  state, 
of  affairs  existing  in  the  Corporation  of  Westminster,  London,  in  relation 
to  the  wood  paving  of  the  streets  there,  on  page  2S8  last  week,  matters 
have  more  fully  ripened.  The  “  Morning  Post”  of  yesterday  (Wed¬ 
nesday)  devoted  three  columns  to  a  thorough  statement  of  the  case ; 
it  had  also  a  leader  on  the  subject.  We  cannot  allude  further  to  the 
matter  at  the  present  moment,  but  we  point  out  to  those  whom  it  may 
concern,  where  ample  information  may  be  obtained.  Summarised,  the 
case  is  that  “  the  Westminster  Council  invited  tenders  for  the  paving 
of  certain  thoroughfares  in  their  extensive  district.  Several  firms  of 
unimpeachable  repute  competed,  and  were  rejected,  amongst  them 
being  the  firm  which  bad  contracted  at  the  lowest  price.  Two  contracts 
were  accepted — namely,  Mr.  Alcott’s  tender  to  pave  the  Strand  and 
other  streets  with  the  South  American  red  gum  wood,  and  the  tender 
of  the  Improved  Wood  Paving  Company  to  lay  down  its  8-inch  blocks  in 
Piccadilly,  Charing  Cross,  Whitehall,  and  Broad  Sanctuary.  In  Mr. 
Aloott’s  oase  the  allegation  is  that  corruption  and  favouritism  existed  ; 
against  the  Wood  Paving  Company  it  is  alleged  that  their  contract 
departed  in  two  important  particulars  from  the  specification  of  the 
Council,  whereas  the  rest  of  the  competitors  were  required  to  comply 
with  it.  The  next  few  days  are  likely  to  Bee  some  important  develop¬ 
ments,  in  which  the  whole  question  of  the  management  of  the  London 
streets  will,  we  trust,  be  raised.  Meanwhile  a  grave  responsibility  rests 
with  the  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  Westminster  in  face  of  the  charges 
brought  against  them.  Red  gum  is  a  South  American  wood  (P),  and 
the  improved  wood  paving  is  a  Baltio  product,  whereas  the  Jarrah 
(Eucalyptus  marginata)  and  Karri  (Eucalyptus  versicolor)  blocks  are 
hewn  from  Australian  forests.” 
“  The  Gardener’s  Assistant.” — By"dwelling  too  conscientiously 
on  some  phases  of  the  latest  volume  of  the  above,  in  our  review  on 
page  284  last  week,  we  entirely  omitted  to  mention  that  volume  iv. 
contains  three  splendid  full  page  coloured  plates,  illustrating  meritorious 
new  and  old  varieties  of  (1)  Apples,  (2)  Pears,  and  (3)jPlums. 
Disposal  of  Fruit  Grown  In  Ravenscourt’|Park. — In  a 
kindly  letter  to  the  Editor,  Mr.  Gingell  states  that  our|" correspondent 
was  wrong  in  surmising  that  the  fruit  grownjin  tie  orchard  at  Ravens- 
court  Park  is  disposed  of  by  auction.  It  is  given  away  to  public 
institutions,  hospitals,  &o.,  a  piece  of  information  which  we  are  most 
pleased  to  hear. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society.— The  office  of  president 
of  this  society,  vacant  by  the  death,  early  in  the  year,  of  Sir  Edwin 
Saunders,  has  been  accepted,  much  to  the  gratification  of  the  committee, 
by  Sir  A.  K.  Rollitt ,  M.P.,  who  has  expressed  his  willingness  to  take  the 
chair  at  the  annual  dinner  of  the  society  to  take  place  at  the  Holborn 
Restaurant  on  Wednesday,  November  27tb. 
Swanley  Horticultural  College. — From  the)  hon.  secretary, 
Miss  E.  Sieveking,  we  reoeive  a  few  particulars  of  recent  successes 
scored  for  the  above  college  by  stu  dents  of  it.  These(show  that  there 
is  “  quality  ”  lying  ready  for  use  at  this  Kent  establishment.  Besides 
the  award  of  a  silver  Knightian  medabfor  a  splendid  collection  of  fruit 
staged  at  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  latest  meeting,  other 
scholarship  prizes  have  been  added  to  previous  lists.  A  National 
Scholarship  for  three  years,  a  great  distinction  secured  by  Mr.  Wilson,  a 
student;  Science  Scholarships  from  the  Board  of  Education,  by  Miss 
Draper  and  Miss  Shore.  Twenty-four  students  were  recently  examined 
in  Bee-keeping,  and  having  passed,  are  now  experts.  Mr.  Broughton 
Carr  pronounced  this  “  a  record  examination.” 
Damsons  at  Dess  than  Two  Shillings  per  Cwt. — The  poor  of 
the  large  towns  will  envy  the  good  fortune  of  the  Salopians  in  being 
able  to  obtain  good  fruit  at  trifling  cost.  We  have  to  fall  back  on  the 
proverbial  “  oldest  inhabitant”  to  remember  the  time  when  there  were 
so  many  Damsons  in  the  county  as  there  are  this  season,  and  on 
Wednesday  Market  Drayton  streets  were  blocked  by  the  lorries  and 
other  vehicles  which  brought  the  spoils  of  the  orohard  into  the  little 
town.  So  it  has  been  in  other  parts  of  Shropshire.  The  market,  for 
an  hour,  asked  2s.  for  30  lbs.  of  Damsons,  but  that  giddy  price  did  not 
long  prevail,  and  before  the  day  closed  the  quantity  oould  be  had  for 
sixpence. 
Sussex  Weather. — The  total  rainfall  at  Abbots  Leigh,  Haywards 
Heath,  for  September  was  1’78  inch,  being  0  99  inch  below  the  average. 
Total  for  the  nine  months  15’90  inches,  as  against  21T1  inches  the 
average.  The  heaviest  fall  was  0’65  inch  on  the  16th.  Rain  fell  on  nine 
days.  The  maximum  temperature  was  75°  on  the  8th,  the  minimum 
38°  on  the  16th ;  mean  maximum  65'06°,  mean  minimum  48’25° ;  mean 
temperature  57’65°,  which  is  0’67°  above  the  average.  An  inch  of 
rain  on  the  16th  and  17th,  followed  by  dull  days  and  more  showers 
on  the  20th  and  21st,  has  fairly  moistened  the  soil,  and  winter 
vegetables  are  much  improved.  Fruit  trees  will  also  have  a  better 
chance  of  making  up  their  fruit  buds  than  last  year,  for  there  is  now 
more  moisture  in  the  soil  than  there  was  at  the  end  of  October 
last  year. — R.  I. 
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  ol 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
© 
1901. 
rection 
Wind. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
Bain. 
At 
At 
At 
®  2  i 
l&o 
a_§ 
September. 
5 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest 
Lowest. 
1-ft. 
deep. 
2-ft. 
deep. 
4-ft. 
deep. 
H 
Sunday  ..22 
S.S.E. 
deg. 
61-6 
deg. 
67-8 
deg. 
67-3 
deg. 
602 
Ins. 
deg. 
58-0 
deg. 
68 ‘7 
deg. 
67-9 
deg. 
41-5 
Monday.  .23 
S.E. 
62 -7 
60  0 
66-0 
59-2 
— 
59.3 
58-8 
57-9 
53*3 
Tuesday  21 
S.S.E. 
00-1 
58-6 
68-4 
58*0 
— 
58-2 
59’0 
57 '9 
41*3 
Wed’sday  25 
S.E. 
59-9 
58-2 
66-9 
60-0 
— 
59-0 
58-8 
67 '8 
43-9 
Thursday  26 
Friday  ..  27 
W.N.W. 
57 ’5 
64-3 
66-8 
47-5 
58-2 
58 '8 
67'8 
40*0 
W.N.W. 
65-1 
63-2 
67-2 
40-7 
— 
56-7 
58-7 
57‘8 
34‘3 
Saturday  28 
s.w. 
61-8 
68-7 
63  9 
55'1 
— 
58-2 
68 ‘3 
57'8 
51  0 
Means  .. 
69-8 
67-3 
66-6 
61-5 
Total 
58-2 
58-7 
|  67-8 
43-6 
Damp  misty  mornings  and  fine  days  have  prevailed  during  the  past 
week. 
