December  5.  1901. 
.JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
513 
Trade  Note. 
In  response  to  a  very  widely  expressed  wish,  and  to  facilitate 
their  trade  in  the  Midlands  and  South  of  Ireland,  Messrs.  Alex. 
Dickson  and  Sons,  Limited,  announce  that  they  are  about  to 
open  a  seed,  bulb,  nursery  and  florist  establishment  at  61, 
Dawson  Street,  Dublin. 
Flowers  Stop  Traffic. 
The  Water  Hyacinth  has  grown  so  freely  in  the  Brisbane  River 
that  it  has  completely  blocked  navigation.  A  rise  in  the  river,  how¬ 
ever,  detached  huge  masses  of  the  Hyacinth,  which  floated  down  to 
Brisbane.  Great  patches,  beautifully  green,  with  purple  flowers, 
swept  down  the  river,  at  times  stretching  from  bank  to  bank. 
Cassell’s  “  Dictionary  of  Gardening.” 
The  seventh  part  of  this  serial  work  has  been  published, 
price  7d.  net.  It  runs  from  Depressaria  (a  genus  of  small  moths) 
to  Eurycles,  thus  nearly  completing  up  to  F.  Besides  the 
numerous  half-tone  illustrations,  a  coloured  plate  of  Cattleya 
Warscewiczi  is  provided. 
Railway  Rates  and  Fruit  Transit. 
The  members  of  the  Birmingham  Wholesale  Fruit  Merchants’ 
Association  dined  together  at  the  Great  Western  Hotel,  on 
Thursday,  November  28.  The  Lord  Mayor  was  in  the  chair.  In 
proposing  the  toast  of  “  The  Birmingham  Wholesale  Fruit  and 
Potato  Merchants’  Association,”  he  said  he  was  interested  in 
their  attitude  concerning  railway  rates.  He  was  afraid  that  a  good 
deal  more  might  be  done  by  the  railway  companies  in  that  direc¬ 
tion,  and  he  wished  they  could  impress  on  them  more  than  they 
seemed  able  to  do  the  need  for  carrying  fruit  and  other  articles 
long  distances  in  this  country  at  cheaper  rates.  He  understood 
that  the  companies  would  bring  Potatoes  from  Hamburg  for 
16s.  6d.,  whereas  from  Inverness  the  charge  was  35s.  Much 
nearer  home  there  were  difficulties  in  bringing  parcels  of  fruit 
and  vegetables  successfully  and  cheaply  from  the  Vale  of 
Evesham,  and  it  seemed  hard  that  it  should  be  so.  We  would 
draw  attention  to  an  article  from  the  pen  of  “  Merlin  ”  that 
appeared  in  Sunday’s  “Referee,”  December  1. 
Sussex  Weather. 
The  total  rainfall  at  Abbots  Leigh,  Hayward’s  Heath,  for  the 
past  month  was  0.71in,  being  2.89in  below  the  average.  The 
heaviest  fall  was  0.22in  on  the  12th ;  rain  fell  on  six  days.  This 
is  the  first  November  in  twenty  years  when  less  than  lin  has  been 
recorded,  3.60in  being  the  average.  It  is  also  the  driest  month 
of  the  year.  With  only  a  normal  rainfall  for  December  this 
will  be  the  driest  year  of  our  twenty  years’  record  in  this  dis¬ 
trict.  The  maximum  temperature  was  58deg  on  the  11th;  the 
minimum,  19deg  on  the  17th;  mean  maximum,  46.27deg;  mean 
minimum,  34.03deg;  mean  temperature,  40.15deg,  which  is  3deg 
below  the  average.  We  have  experienced  two  unusual  atmo¬ 
spheric  conditions  for  November  in  mid-Sussex,  viz.,  three  days 
thick  fog — 5th,  6th,  and  7th — and  three  night  frosts — 15th,  16th, 
and  17th — with  a  gale  in  between.  The  consequence  is  that  out¬ 
door  Chrysanthemums,  often  seen  on  walls  and  the  sunny  sides 
of  cottages  to  the  end  of  the  month,  were  destroyed  when  only 
at  their  best. — R.  I. 
German  Potatoes  for  British  Troops. 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Coleraine  Farming  Society 
was  held  in  the  Cafe  Hall,  Coleraine,  Ireland,  on  Nov.  26,  Colonel 
H.  J.  L.  Bruce,  J.P.,  Downhill,  in  the  chair.  Mr.  S.  S.  Young 
proposed: — “  1.  That  the  Coleraine  Farming  Society,  assembled 
at  their  annual  meeting,  respectfully  beg  to  enter  their  protest 
at  the  recent  purchase  of  1,250  tons  of  German  Potatoes  for  the 
use  of  our  troops  in  South  Africa  while  the  crop  in  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  this  year  is  a  superabundant  one  of  the  finest  quality, 
and  it  is  selling  at  prices  quite  unremunerative  to  the  growers. 
German  Potatoes  are  admittedly  of  inferior  quality.  This 
society  think  that  the  conduct  of  the  purchasing  department  of 
His  Majesty’s  forces  in  this  matter  requires  investigation,  and 
they  trust  that  precautions  will  be  taken  to  prevent  further 
purchases  of  foreign  Potatoes  so  long  as  home  supplies  can  be 
secured  at  moderate  prices.  2.  The  Potato  crop  being  seriously 
■hort  in  America  this  year,  they  would  further  ask  that  represen¬ 
tations  be  respectfully  made  to  the  American  Government,  asking 
that  the  present  unreasonable  and  prohibitive  import  duty  of 
39s.  2d.  per  ton  be  suspended  for  the  season,  or,  failing  this, 
that  it  be  substantially  reduced.” 
The  Dublin  Field  Club. 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  above  Professor  Johnson,  D.S.C., 
showed  that  the  Potato  fungus  (Peronospora  infestans)  had 
produced  its  mycelium  on  the  Tomato,  suggesting  that  fungi 
prominent  on  one  type  may  adapt  itself  to  the  varied  members 
of  the  same  natural  order. 
November  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle,  1901. 
The  wind  was  in  a  westerly  direction  nineteen  days.  The 
total  rainfall  was  1.53in,  this  fell  on  thirteen  days,  and  is  0.87in 
below  the  average  for  the  month ;  the  greatest  daily  fall  was 
0.58in  on  the  11th.  Barometer  (corrected  and  reduced) :  Highest 
reading,  30.666in  on  the  24th,  at  9  p.m. ;  lowest,  28.951in  on 
the  12th,  at  9  p.m.  Thermometers  :  Highest  in  the  shade,  61deg 
on  the  19th ;  lowest,  18deg  on  the  17th  and  25th ;  mean  of  daily 
maxima,  46.50deg;  mean  of  daily  minima,  33.70deg;  mean 
temperature  of  the  month,  40.10deg;  lowest  on  the  grass,  16deg 
on  the  17th  and  25th;  highest  in  the  sun,  95deg  on  the  1st; 
mean  temperature  of  the  earth  at  3ft,  46.06deg.  Total  sun¬ 
shine,  73  hours  50  minutes,  which  is  11  hours  58  minutes  above 
the  average  for  the  month ;  there  were  fourteen  sunless  days. 
The  frost  has  not  been  so  severe  here  in  November  since  1879 ; 
tlm  following  December  and  January  were  unusually  severe  in 
that  season. — W.  H.  Divers. 
More  About  Japanese  Dwarf  Trees. 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Japan  Society,  held  at  No.  20, 
Hanover  Square,  London,  a  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  Toichi 
Tsumura  on  the  Dwarf  Trees  of  Japan.  The  paper  was  illustrated 
by  a  number  of  growing  specimens  and  by  lantern  slides, 
exemplifying  the  different  forms  of  training  adopted  for  Maple, 
Pine,  and  other  Conifers,  and  Bamboo ;  a  fine  Araucaria,  only 
30in  high  with  its  pot,  and  the  Japanese  garden  at  the  Glasgow 
Exhibition.  The  method  was  then  explained  of  forming  upright 
trunks  by  cutting  them  at  the  height  required  and  grafting 
younger  trees  thereon  to  develop  foliage,  the  roots  being  sawn 
away  when  the  operation  is  completed.  Pictures  representing 
Pines  and  Cedars,  with  branches  bent  in  a  series  of  angles,  were 
then  shown,  followed  by  examples  with  part  of  the  roof  high 
above  the  ground.  The  author  then  passed  to  the  consideration 
of  the  care  of  these  miniature  trees.  The  pots  for  Conifers  should 
be  small,  the  mould  laid  on  a  basis  of  gravel,  and  not  too  tightly 
packed.  Water  should  be  given  sparingly,  and  when  it  becomes 
necessary  to  change  the  mould  the  fibrous  roots  must  be  cut  to 
prevent  the  trees  growing  out  of  shape  owing  to  the  impetus  due 
to  increased  nutriment  from  the  soil.  Evergreens  should  have 
fresh  mould  once  in  three  years,  and  deciduous  plants  once  every 
year.  The  practice  of  dwarfing  trees  was  ancient,  and  probably 
introduced  into  Japan  from  China,  though  the  methods  of  culti¬ 
vation  had  been  somewhat  changed.  The  author  then  drew 
attention  to  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Bonkei,  or  miniature  land¬ 
scape  gardening,  the  highest  development  of  the  cultivation  of 
dwarf  trees.  The  hall  was  crowded  in  every  part,  and  a 
unanimous  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr.  Tsumura  for  his 
paper. 
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. 
1 
G 
3 
tf 
Temperatuie  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
CO 
■s  S  » 
►  S3 
o  a 
^ag 
<D  ° 
4-1 
1901. 
November. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
i 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4  ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
00 
O) 
£1 
bO 
a 
GO 
® 
o 
ij 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday  ...24 
S.E. 
25-5 
24-8 
34-5 
22.8 
— 
39-4 
45  5 
48-8 
18'7 
Monday  ...25 
N.E. 
28-3 
27-5 
42-3 
25T 
— 
37-7 
44-3 
48-7 
190 
Tuesday  ..26 
N.W. 
41-4 
38-6 
44-3 
28-0 
— 
37-2 
44-3 
48-5 
21-1 
Wed’sday  27 
N.E. 
40-5 
39-9 
46T 
39-0 
— 
37-4 
42-9 
48-1 
29-7 
Thursday  28 
N.W. 
43-5 
41-4 
46'5 
40-0 
— 
39.5 
43-0 
478 
28-9 
Friday  ...29 
N.W. 
320 
30T 
43’0 
31-2 
— 
38-9 
432 
47-5 
23T 
Saturday  30 
W. 
42-6 
40-4 
47-5 
31-3 
I 
38'9 
43-0 
473 
24-8 
Total. 
Msans  ... 
36-3 
4-7 
435  1 
3!T 
38-4 
43-7 
48-1 
23-6 
Dull,  cold,  dry  weather  has  prevailed  during  the  past  week. 
