November  14,  1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
443 
A  Fine  Bunch  of  Bananas. 
A  bunch  of  Bananas  (Musa  Cavendishi)  was  cut  by  Mr.  Jordan, 
at  Impney,  near  Droitwicli,  the  other  day,  weighing  over  1001b. 
The  fruits  were  very  large,  some  weighing  7oz  each.  Mr.  Jordan 
grew  a  bunch  several  years  ago  that  weighed  over  1141b,  and  was 
figured  in  the  Journal.  In  the  same  garden  is  a  magnificent 
display  of  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine.  There  are  several 
hundreds  of  plants  in  full  flower  in  a  span-roofed  house,  and  the 
mass  of  delicate  pink  colour  presents  a  view  of  loveliness  beyond 
description. — U. 
Kew  Bulletin. 
The  latest  bulletin  of  miscellaneous  information  (Appendix  I., 
1902),  just  issued,  is  devoted  to  a  lisit  of  seeds  of  hardy  herbaceous 
annual  and  perennial  plants  and  of  hardy  trees  and  shrubs  which, 
for  the  most  part,  have  ripened  at  Kew  during  the  year  1901. 
The  seeds  are  available  for  exchange  with  Colonial,  Indian,  and 
Foreign  Botanic  Gardens,  as  well  as  with  regular  correspondents 
of  Kew. 
Protection  of  Birds. 
The  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Birds  is  this  year  offering 
two  prizes,  of  £10  and  £5  respectively,  for  papers  on  the  best 
means  of  establishing  a  “  Bird  and  Arbour  Day  ”  in  England. 
In  the  schools  of  many  of  the  United  States,  bird  days  and 
arbour  days  have  become  a  very  popular  institution,  and  have 
proved  most  successful  in  interesting  teachers  and  children  in 
birds  and  bird-protection;  and  the  society’s  offer  will,  it  is 
hoped,  elicit  practical  hints  as  to  the  way  in  which  the  scheme 
may  be  introduced  and  worked  in  English  schools.  Papers  are 
to  be  sent  in  not  later  than  November  30,  1901,  and  all  par¬ 
ticulars  may  be  obtained  of  the  Hon.  Secretary,  Society  for  the 
Protection  of  Birds,  3,  Hanover  Square,  London,  W.  The 
essays  on  bird-protection  which  gained  the  society’s  prizes  last 
year  can  also  be  had  from  the  society’s  office. 
Variorum 
In  the  Rose,  shrub,  and  fruit  tree  catalogue  newly  sent  out 
by  Messrs.  Wm.  Clibran  and  Son,  of  Altrincham,  there  is  a  beau¬ 
tiful  coloured  plate  of  their  new  Apple,  “  Rival,”  furnishing  a 
representation  worthy  of  being  framed.  *  *  In  a  letter  from 
Mr.  H.  Pugh,  Boxted  Hall,  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  who  also  sends 
a  fine  flower  of  Strelitzia  reginae,  he  says  of  the  plant :  “  It  is 
a  tuberous  rooted  plant,  in  this  respect  almost  like  a  Dahlia ;  I 
grow  it  in  peat,  leaf  soil,  and  loam,  in  a  warm  house.”  We  had 
a  note  also,  in  names  of  plants.  *  *  The  fruits  of  the  Straw¬ 
berry  Tree,  Arbutus  Unedo,  have  been  received  at  Covent  Garden 
from  France,  and  they  are,  of  course,  quite  a  novelty.  *  * 
Before  the  members  of  the  Sea  Point  Gardeners’  Society  at  Cape 
Town,  Mr.  Peter  Barr,  V.M.H.,  recently  delivered  a  lecture  on 
“  Ancient  and  Modern  Daffodils.”  Mr.  Barr  had  intended  to 
stay  at  Perth  in  Western  Australia  for  an  extended  period,  but 
the  veteran,  who  has  now  travelled  America,  Japan,  New 
Zealand,  and  Australia,  found  the  Cape  too  alluring.  He  in¬ 
tends  to  “  do  ”  the  Cape  to  Cairo  route. 
Kew  Notes. 
Both  the  greenhouse  (No.  4)  and  the  Orchid  ranges  are  at 
present  exceedingly  bright  and  attractive.  The  Chrysanthemums 
are  at  their  best  and  are  nurherous.  The  octagons  of  the  tem¬ 
perate  house  are  relieved  of  their  usual  inviting  presentment  by 
a  fine  selection  of  the  popular  flower  of  the  season.  Besides 
Chrysanthemums,  in  the  greenhouse  there  are  some  massive 
plants  of  the  scarlet  flowered  Salvia,  and  the  beautiful  Calceo¬ 
laria  Burbidgei,  batches  of  Cyclamens,  Primula  obconica,  Gom- 
phrena  globosa  rubra  (a  tasteful  little  annual),  and  Zonals.  In 
the  Cactus  and  succulent  house  there  are  two  Agaves  showing 
flower.  One  of  these  has  not  previously  flowered  at  Kew ;  the 
other,  A.  filifera  filamentosa,  has  been  expanding  its  long,  dense 
spike  for  a  fortnight  past.  The  Date  Plum  (Diospyros  Kaki)  is 
bearing  ripe  fruit  in  this  house.  The  Javanese  Rhododendrons 
in  the  Mexican  house  are  flowering  most  successfully,  and  furnish 
one  of  the  best  indoor  features  of  Kew  at  the  present  time.  A 
considerable  amount  of  planting  is  being  done  both  outside  and 
inside.  It  is  proposed,  we  believe,  to  carry  a  pergola  along  the 
walk  that  runs  north  of  the  rock  garden  and  south  of  the  Orchid 
houses,  and  to  have  it  covered  with  suitable  Roses.  The  pergola 
will  be  of  iron.  Such  an  addition  will  be  a  remarkable  improve¬ 
ment  and  will  lend  even  greater  charm  than  ever  to  these  beau¬ 
tiful  Royal  Botanic  Gardens. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. 
The  usual  monthly  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  at  the 
Caledonian  Hotel,  Adelphi  Terrace,  Strand,  on  Monday  evening 
last,  Mr.  Thomas  Winter  in  the  chair.  Three  new  members  were 
elected  and  one  other  nominated.  The  secretary  reported  four 
members  on  the  sick  fund.  The  amount  paid  to  sick  members 
since  the  last  meeting  was  £8  2s.  The  treasurer  was  authorised 
to  invest  £400  in  the  best  available  trustee  stock. 
Japanese  Dwarf  Trees. 
The  secret  of  the  growth  of  these  trees  by  Japanese  arboricul¬ 
turists  is  of  a  very  “  open  ”  character.  One  method  is  to  scoop  out 
the  interior  of  an  Orange  and  fill  the  skin  with  rich  mould,  into 
which  a  seed  is  put,  an  aperture  being  left  at  the  top  through 
which  the  seed  may  sprout.  The  roots  in  time  break  through  the 
Orange  skin,  but  are  shaved  off  continually.  The  vitality  of  the 
plant  being  thus  hindered,  a  dwarf  is  the  result.  When  the  roots 
cease  to  grow  the  ends  are  varnished  over,  and  the  Orange  skin, 
with  its  contents,  is  embedded  in  a  pot  or  vase. 
Protecting  Fruit  from  Frost. 
In  the  November  number  of  “  Pearson’s  Magazine  ”  a  writer 
contributes  an  illustrated  article  on  the  above  subject.  His 
facts  are  taken  largely  from  a  report  recently  published  by  Mr. 
Alexander  G.  McAdie,  forecast  official  of  the  United  States 
Weather  Bureau.  The  article  is  interestingly  written,  and  will 
prove  attractive,  at  all  events,  to  fruit  growers  and  lovers  of  the 
garden.  A  few  of  the  methods  whereby  frost  is  held  at  bay  in 
the  Orange  groves  of  California,  are  noticed,  the  best  known  of 
which, are  the  “smudging,”  whereby  fumes  rise  up  amongst  the 
branches  of  the  trees'  from  baskets  of  smouldering  charcoal  sus¬ 
pended  below  the  boughs.  In  France  they  do  this  on  a  large 
scale  by  furnishing  great  smoulder-heaps  whose  smoke  rolls  over 
the  vineyards  and  protects  the  Vines  in  late  spring.  The 
running  of  hot  water  troughs  through  the  groves,  from  which  the 
steam  ascends,  is  another  practice  adopted ;  and,  lastly,  there  is 
the  costly  method  of  overhead  lath  screens,  which  are  the  best 
of  all  protections,  but  entail  an  outlay  of  £80  per  acre. 
October  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle,  1901. 
The  wind  was  in  a  southerly  direction  twenty  days.  The  total 
rainfall  was  1.37in,  this  fell  on  fourteen  days,  and  is  1.71in 
below  the  average  for  the  month ;  the  greatest  daily  fall  was 
0.25in  on  the  6th.  Barometer  (corrected  and  reduced) :  highest 
reading  30.439in  on  the  31st  at  9  p.m. ;  lowest  29.197in  on  the 
6th  at  9  a.m.  Thermometers :  highest  in  the  shade,  69  deg. 
on  the  1st  and  2nd;  lowest,  27  deg.  on  the  26th;  mean  of  daily 
maxima,  56.12  deg.;  mean  of  daily  minima,  41.16  deg.;  mean 
temperature  of  the  month,  48.64  deg;  lowest  on  the  grass,  23  deg. 
on  the  26th  and  27th;  highest  in  the  sun,  111  deg.  on  the  12th; 
mean  temperature  of  the  earth  at  3ft,  53.16  deg.  Total  sunshine, 
107  hours  45  minutes,  which  is  12  hours  57  minutes  above  the 
average  for  the  month;  there  were  six  sunless  days. — W.  H. 
Divers. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chiswick — 
height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
<D 
1901. 
Norember. 
eotion  c 
Wind. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
Rain. 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4- ft. 
deep. 
U  * 
^  a  «• 
*  -3  s 
*  «  0 
0  ft 
U 
5 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
CO 
d 
A 
b* 
5 
+D 
w 
© 
s 
o 
41 
4  0a 
2  0 
E-i 
Sunday  ...  3 
E.S.E. 
deg. 
35-5 
deg. 
35-3 
deg. 
365 
deg. 
285 
Ins. 
deg. 
42-8 
deg. 
492 
deg. 
52-4 
deg. 
22-7 
Monday  ...  4 
E.S.E. 
32-2 
31-8 
35-0 
31-5 
_ 
41-9 
49-0 
52  T 
30-0 
Tuesday...  5 
E.S.E. 
32-3 
32-0 
39T 
31-3 
— 
41-7 
47  4 
52’0 
32-6 
Wed'sday  6 
E.S.E. 
31'2 
30'5 
39-1 
30-0 
— 
41-9 
470 
51-5 
31-2 
Thursday  7 
N.W. 
38-7 
37-7 
47-1 
30 '5 
_ 
41-9 
46'8 
51-2 
32-0 
Friday  ...  8 
W.N.W. 
46-3 
44-2 
51-6 
38-5 
_ 
44-2 
470 
51-0 
400 
Saturday  9 
W.N.W. 
35-0 
33-0 
50-1 
38.5 
44-7 
47-2 
507 
29-5 
Mkans  ... 
35-9 
349 
42-6 
32'7 
Total 
42-7 
47.7 
51-6 
31-1 
A  dense,  smoky  fog  prevailed  during  the  first  four  days  of  the  week, 
the  remaining  three  days  were  dull  but  clear,  with  a  considerable  risn 
in  the  temperature. 
