November  21,  1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
461 
Royal  Appointment. 
Messrs.  Dickson  and  Robinson,  of  Manchester,  have  been 
honoured  with  the  Royal  warrant  appointing  them  seedsmen  to 
His  Majesty  the  King.  They  for  many  years  held  similar 
appointments  to  Her  Majesty  the  late  Queen  Victoria  and 
H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
The  Late  Mr.  A.  H.  Smee. 
On  the  8th  inst.,  at  his  residence,  The  Grange,  Hackhridge, 
near  Carshalton,  in  Surrey,  this  highly  respected,  accomplished, 
and  useful  gentleman  died.  He  was  enthusiastic  as  a  gardener 
and  in  natural  science.  Orchids  were  his  special  favourites,  and 
for  long  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Orchid  Committee  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
Weather  in  London. 
The  weather  of  the  past  week  has  varied  considerably.  Some 
days,  as  on  Saturday,  the  fog  was  black  and  very  dense,  while, 
again,  sunshine  was  liberal  on  Sunday.  “  White  ”  frosts  have 
been  with  us  on  three  or  four  mornings,  the  thermometer  record¬ 
ing  so  much  as  14  degrees  of  frost  at  Kew  on  the  16th. 
Weather  in  S.  Perthshire. 
■Sharp  touches  of  frost  had  been  of  pretty  frequent  occurrence 
before  the  end  of  last  week,  but  it  was  then  that  •winter  appeared 
to  have  fairly  set  in.  Heavy  snowfalls  took  place  in  both  the 
northern  and  the  southern  counties.  On  the  morning  of  the 
15th  and  16th  9  degrees  and  15  degrees  of  frost  were  recorded.  On 
the  evening  of  Saturday  a  thaw  set  in.  Monday  was  windy  and 
•wet  almost  throughout. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
Chrysanthemums  at  Southport. 
On  November  6,  the  Southport  and  BirkdaJe  Horticultural 
Society  held  its  annual  show  in  the  Cambridge  Hall  and  one 
of  the  rooms  of  the  adjoining  Art  Gallery.  The  number  of 
•entries  showed  an  increase  as  compared  with  previous  years,  and 
the  quality  was  far  above  the  average.  The  Challenge  Cup 
was  again  won  by  Councillor  W.  Shuttlewortb  with  a  magnificent 
group  of  Chrysanthemums,  and  the  trophy  now  becomes  his  abso¬ 
lute  property.  In  the  amateur  section  some  fine  collections 
were  noticeable,  and  here  Mr.  J.  J.  Barlow’s  cup  was  won  by 
Mr.  J.  J.  Welchman.  The  chief  prizewinners  included  the 
following:  Messrs.  T.  Johnson,  0.  Hill,  L.  Heath,  A.  Francis, 
J.  E.  Swift,  and  B.  Wall. 
Horticultural  Club. 
It  was  an  interesting  occasion  when  the  members  of  this 
valuable  club  wrere  summoned  on  Tuesday  evening,  the  12th  inst., 
when  the  portrait  of  the  Rev.  H.  H.  D’Ombrain  was  unveiled. 
The  portrait  was  painted  by  Miss  May  Rivers,  and  was  admirably 
executed,  the  likeness  being  a  thoroughly  good  one.  The  chair¬ 
man  of  the  club,  Sir  John  T.  D.  Llewelyn,  Bart.,  had  promised  to 
attend,  but  was  unfortunately  prevented  by  urgent  business  from 
being  there.  The  evening  was  an  open  one — that  is,  ladies  were 
invited — and  there  was  a  large  gathering  of  members  and  their 
friends.  Mr.  Harry  J.  Veitch,  vice-chairman  of  the  club,  who 
occupied  the  chair,  in  his  usual  happy  way  mentioned  the  circum¬ 
stances  of  their  meeting  together,  and  then  called  on  Mrs.  Veitch 
and  Mrs.  Watkins  to  unveil  the  picture,  which  was  done  amidst 
much  cheering,  and  was  then  carried  to  its  place  in  the  club 
room.  The  club’s  wish  to  have  their  secretary’s  portrait  painted 
when  he  is  in  his  eighty-fourth  year  must,  we  presume,  be  taken 
as  a  proof  of  how  much  his  services  have  been  appreciated. 
Carnations  from  Battle  Abbey. 
Mr.  Wm.  Camm,  from  “  The  Gardens,”  Battle  Abbey,  Battle, 
sends  us  a  most  delightful  box  of  odorous  Carnations,  with  the 
following  letter : — “  I  send  you  a  few  blooms  of  Carnation  seed¬ 
lings  which  were  sown  eight  months  ago.  The  variety  is  Riviera 
Market,  much  better  than  Marguerite  varieties  and  just  as  free 
blooming.  They  are  now  in  lOin  pots,  and  produce  about  one 
dozen  blooms  each  plant  a  week,  and  they  will  continue  to  bloom 
all  winter.  I  send  you  also  grass  from  them.  Should  you  con¬ 
sider  them  worthy  of  a  note  as  to  culture  I  will  send  you  one  on 
with  pleasure.”  We  are  sure  that  notes  from  Mr.  Camm  would 
be  of  the  greatest  service.  We  are  perfectly  delighted  with  the 
robust  growths,  the  large  and  splendidly  coloured  flowers,  and 
feel  sure  that  if  many  friends  could  likewise  see  them  they  would 
at  once  desire  to  cultivate  a  goodly  batch. 
Appointment. 
Mr.  W.  S.  Choi  well,  for  two  years  foreman  at  Monnt 
Edgcumbe,  Cornwall,  previously  head  gardener  at  the  Manor 
House,  Stoke,  Devonport,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener  to 
James  J.  MacAndrew,  Esq.,  of  Lukesland,  Ivy  Bridge,  South 
Devon. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  annual  dinner  will  take  place  on  Wednesday  next, 
November  27,  in  the  Holbom  Restaurant,  Sir  Albert  Kaye 
Rollit,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.,  M.P.,  &c.,  in  the  chair.  It  is  earnestly 
hoped  that  supporters  of  the  society  will  attend  this  dinner. 
Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association. 
Following  immediately  upon  the  recent  Birmingham  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  Show,  Mr.  W.  Spiells,  in  conformity  with  his  annual 
custom  for  so  many  years  past,  opened  a  discussion  on  the  leading 
features  of  the  Chrysanthemum  Show.  Many  pertinent  remarks 
were  also  made  by  Messrs.  C.  H.  Herbert  (the  chairman),  A. 
Cryer,  W.  Gardiner,  C.  R.  Bick,  J.  Wheeler,  and  others,  with 
also  suggestions  in  the  way  of  future  innovations  and  arrange¬ 
ments. 
Death  of  Mr.  William  Balchin,  sen. 
This  well-known  South  of  England  nurseryman,  the  head  of 
the  firm  of  Messrs.  W.  Balchin  and  Sons,  of  Brighton,  died  at  his 
residence,  on  the  Hassocks  Nurseries,  on  the  16th  inst.,  in  his 
seventy-seventh  year,  and  after  a  painful  illness  which  had  kept 
him  bedridden  for  about  twelve  months.  Mr.  Balchin  came  to 
Brighton  when  a  young  man,  and  foreseeing  the  development  of 
the  town,  he  commenced  business  as  a  florist  in  conjunction  with 
his  brother-in-law,  the  firm  being  Messrs.  Balchin  and  Neel.  In 
course  of  time  this  partnership  was  severed,  and  the  business  was 
carried  on  alone  by  Mr.  Balchin  until  his  sons  were  taken  into 
partnership,  and  the  business  became  known  as  W .  Balchin  &  Sons. 
Of  late  years  the  business  has  undergone  great  entension.  There 
are  nurseries  at  Brighton,  Hove,  and  Hassocks,  and  there  are  the 
Sillwood  Conservatories  in  the  Western  Road  and  the  St.  Albans 
Conservatories  in  the  Church  Road,  Hove.  At  Hassocks  there  is 
a  considerable  range  of  glass,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of 
plants  are  grown  there  for  the  supply  of  the  Brighton  and  Hove 
conservatories,  as  well  as  shrubs  and  forest  trees,  and  fruit  trees 
in  considerable  abundance.  Under  the  management  of  Mr. 
William  Richardson  the  Hassock  Nurseries  have  become  famous 
for  hardwooded  plants,  Leschenaultias,  Boronias,  Ericas, 
Epacris,  and  many  others,  being  extensively  propagated  for  sup¬ 
plying  the  trade.  Thoroughly  immersed  in  his  business,  Mr. 
Balchin  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  take  part  in  the  public  life  of  his 
adopted  town.  He  was  a  man  of  high  moral  character,  and  pro¬ 
bably  had  as  few  enemies  as  any  resident  in  Brighton.  Mr. 
Balchin  married  twice,  and  leaves  a  widow  and  eight  children — 
five  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  was  buried  in  the  Hove 
Cemetery  on  Wednesday,  the  20th  inst. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chiswick— 
height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Rain. 
Temperatui  e  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1901. 
November. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4- f  t. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
43 
CO 
Q) 
A 
ho 
5 
43 
CO 
e 
& 
o 
Sunday  ...10 
Monday  ...11 
Tuesday  ..12 
Wed’sday  13 
Thursday  14 
Friday  ...15 
Saturday  16 
W.S.W. 
W.S.W. 
S.S.W. 
S.W. 
N.N.W. 
W.S.W. 
E.S.E. 
deg. 
47'7 
51-4 
50-9 
46-9 
36-9 
290 
24-5 
deg. 
44-4 
46- 4 
47- 6 
43-7 
33-9 
28-2 
23-8 
deg. 
52T 
54-4 
53-3 
48-3 
41-6 
40-4 
32-6 
deg. 
44- 8 
45'4 
48-9 
45- 7 
36-5 
25'5 
21.1 
Ins. 
006 
027 
deg. 
45'8 
462 
47-3 
471 
45-4 
41-7 
39'2 
deg. 
475 
47- 9 
483 
48- 5 
48-5 
477 
46-3 
deg. 
50  5 
50-5 
50-5 
50-5 
50-5 
50-5 
502 
deg. 
41-5 
38- 9 
44-2 
39- 8 
33-5 
12.8 
1F5 
Mean*  ... 
41-0 
38-3 
46-1 
Total 
38-3  0-33 
1 
44-7 
47-8 
50-5 
31-7 
The  weather  during  th«  first  part  of  the  week  was  doll  and  mild. 
On  the  12th  a  heavy  gale  of  wind  occurred,  followed  on  the  following 
day  by  rain,  since  which  there  has  been  frost  and  much  fog,  the  latter 
doin  '*•*  ule  damage  to  Vine  leaves  in  the  big  vinery 
