.December  12,  1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
533 
Weather  in  London. 
The  weather  on  the  whole  for  a  week  past  has  been  agreeable, 
though  the  state  of  the  roads  and  paths,  owing  to  the  showers, 
lias  been  less  pleasant  than  the  fastidious  care  for.  On  Tuesday 
morning  Londoners  woke  to  look  out  on  snowy  roofs  and  roads ; 
but  the  fall  was  very  slight,  and  scarcely  had  we  any  frost. 
Weather  in  the  North. 
Showery  nights,  and  days  of  high  winds  with  drizzly  rain, 
have  marked  the  past  week.  During  the  night  of  Saturday  the 
bills  to  the  North  were  whitened,  and  on  the  following  night 
the  low  grounds  were  covered  with  snow.  Monday  was  variable, 
with  sleety  showers. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. 
The  usual  monthly  committee  meeting  of  this  society  was 
held  on  Monday  evening  last  at  the  Caledonian  Hotel.  Mr. 
C.  H.  Curtis  was  in  the  chair.  The  minutes  of  the  last-  meeting 
were  read  and  confirmed.  Two  new  members  were  elected, 
making  a  total  of  eighty-three  for  the  year.  Two  members  only 
are  now  on  the  sick  fund,  but  five  others  have  received  sick  pay 
during  the  month,  the  amount  paid  out  being  £16  Is.  since  the 
! ast  meeting.  The  treasurer  reported  that  he  had  invested  £400 
'n  London  C.C.  stock,  leaving  him  a  balance  in  hand  of  £7  2s.  lOd. 
„  Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  last  fruit  and  floral  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  this  year  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  December  17,  in  the 
Drill  Hall,  Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster,  1  to  4  p.m.  The 
committees  will  meet  at  noon  as  usual,  and  an  election  of  new 
Fellows  will  take  place  at  three  o’clock.  At  a  general  meeting 
of  the  society,  held  on  Tuesday,  November  26,  thirty-seven  new 
Fellows  were  elected,  amongst  them  being  Sir  James  Blyth,  Bart., 
'Lady  FitzHerbert,  Captain  C.  N.  Lyall,  Edmund  Deacon, 
M.F.H.,  and  Eugene  E.  Hennesey,  B.A.,  B.Sc.,  making  a  total 
of  888  elected  since  the  beginning  of  the  present  year. 
Presentation  to  Mr.  Janies  Watts. 
On  Saturday  afternoon,  November  30.  a  deputation,  consist¬ 
ing  of  Messrs.  A.  B.  Robinson,  W.  Symes,  E.  Parkes,  and  Albert 
Winfield,  waited  on  Mr.  James  Watts,  who  for  nearly  twenty 
years  has  been  the  hon.  secretary  of  the  Blackwell  Horticultural 
Society,  to  make  him  a  present  of  a  very  handsome  half-hunter 
keyless  gold  watch  and  a  beautifully  illuminated  address  in  album 
form.  The  address  ran  thus:  “The  accompanying  gold  watch 
has  been  presented  to  Mr.  James  Watts  by  the  following  mem¬ 
bers  and  others  interested  in  the  Blackwell  Horticulriiral  Society 
ag  a  mark  of  esteem  and  appreciation  of  the  valuable  services 
rendered  by  him  to  the  society  for  many  years  as  hon.  secretary.” 
The  names  of  the  subscribers  followed. 
Metropolitan  Public  Parks  Association. 
A  meeting  of  the  Metropolitan  Public  Gardens  Association 
was  held  at  83,  Lancaster  Gate,  W.,  on  Wednesday,  December  4, 
the  Hon.  Dudley  Fortescue,  vice-chairman,  presiding.  Corre¬ 
spondence  with  the  London  County  Council  and  other  public 
bodies  was  considered,  and  it  was  agreed  to  lay  out  the  garden 
of  St.  Philip’s,  Avondale  Square,  S.E.,  to  appeal  for  £50  for  the 
formation  of  a  school  playground  in  Bethnal  Green,  to  offer  to 
lay  out  the  churchyard  of  St.  Paul’s,  Clapham,  and  to  oppose  the 
scheme  for  a  second  tubular  railway  under  Hampstead  Heath. 
The  question  of  the  excessive  and  unskilful  lopping  of  trees  in 
various  parts  of  London  was  also  under  consideration.  A  letter 
was  read  from  the  London  County  Council  in  answer  to  the 
association’s  inquiry  respecting  the  threatened  building  on  fore¬ 
courts  in  Albert  Road,  N.W.,  stating  that  an  application  to 
advance  the  line  of  frontage  had  been  refused.  In  reference 
to  a  letter  from  the  Smoke  Abatement  Society,  it  was  stated  that 
smoke  and  other  fumes  exercised  a  most  pernicious  effect  on 
plants  and  trees  in  the  metropolis,  and  it  was  agreed  to  express 
the  sympathy  of  the  association  with  efforts  made  to  purify  the 
atmosphere. 
Royal  Appointment. 
Mr.  William  Bull,  F.L.S.,  V.M.H.,  new  plant  merchant,  of 
536,  King’s  Road,  Chelsea,  has  been  honoured  with  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  florist  to  His  Majesty  the  King. 
Mosquitos’  Nets. 
The  experiment  has  been  sanctioned  of  supplying  mosquito 
curtains  to  men  of  the  R.G.A.  doing  duty  at  the  River  Forts, 
Rangoon,  to  ascertain  whether  any  reduction  in  malarial  fever 
amongst  them  can  be  thereby  effected.  Mr.  Carmody,  in  the 
American  “Journal  of  Tropical  Medicine,”  has  sketched  a 
mosquito  net  for  travellers  in  hot  countries.  It  is  attachable  to 
the  ordinary  umbrella  or  sunshade,  and  serves  the  double  purpose 
of  keeping  off  the  sun  by  day  and  the  insects  by  night. 
Aids  to  the  Location  of  Well  Water. 
One  of  the  recent  improvements  which  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  has  introduced  in  its  excellent  series  of  geologic 
maps  is  an  arrangement  of  lines  by  which  the  depth  of  the  rock 
layers  which  are  known  to  produce  water  can  be  determined. 
These  lines  are  drawn  to  show  the  depth  below  the  surface  of 
both  the  upper  and  lower  faces  of  the  water-bearing  rocks  in 
the  section  covered  by  the  map,  and  add  a  valuable  feature  to 
these  already  useful  publications.  The  information  on  which 
the  introduction  of  the  water  lines  is  based  is  being  gathered 
(says  “  American  Gardening  ”)  by  skilful  geologists,  who  are 
making  a  thorough  study  of  the  underground  formations  for  the 
express  purpose  of  locating  waters  which  will  be  available  for  use 
by  means  of  wells.  In  certain  parts  of  the  country,  as  upon 
the  Plains  and  in  the  more  arid  West,  these  guides  to  the  under¬ 
ground  waters  will  be  of  the  greatest  service,  not  only  to  the 
farming  population,  but  to  the  towns  and  cities  which  are  in 
need  of  a  municipal  water  supply. 
Scottish  Notes. 
Mains  and  Strathmartine  Horticultural  Society  (Dundee)  has 
arranged  for  a  series  of  lectures  to  be  delivered  under  its  auspices 
during  the  coming  winter  months.  The  first  of  a  series  was 
delivered  very  recently  in  the  Public  Hall  by  Mr.  Henry 
Havelock,  manager,  Meric  Moor  Nurseries.  Downfield.  Mr.  Tom 
Melville  presided  over  a  large  audience.  Mr.  Havelock  dealt 
with  the  preparation  of  the  soil,  suitable  manures,  the  practical 
method  in  which  to  plant  young  trees  in  their  various  stages, 
and  the  best  positions  to  plant  in.  He  then  proceeded  to  give 
an  interesting  history  of  the  Apricot,  Apple,  Cherry,  Pear.  Plum, 
and  kindred  fruits,  giving  hints  as  to  the  kinds  of  trees  to  culti¬ 
vate.  Various  forms  of  trees  were  exhibited.  Pruning,  which, 
the  lecturer  said,  was  the  great  secret  of  success  in  the  cultiva¬ 
tion  of  fruit,  was  practically  demonstrated.  An  interesting  col¬ 
lection  of  fine  Apples,  and  also  a  beautifully  arranged  table  of 
plants  in  foliage  and  flowering  plants  sent  by  Messrs.  Thyne  and 
Paton,  18,  Union  Street,  Dundee,  was  exhibited  on  the  platform. 
Sutton's  Seed  Catalogue. 
The  first  seed  catalogue  to  reach  us  for  the  coming  season  is 
that  of  Messrs.  Sutton  and  Sons,  Reading.  As  usual,  it  is 
profusely  enlivened  with  splendid  illustrations  that  tell  far 
better  than  yards  of  descriptive  text  exactly  what  this  plant  or 
that  plant  is  like.  Vegetables,  flowers,  and  plants  are  portrayed. 
Garden  Peas  occupy  a  prominent  position  in  the  forefront,  and 
no  less  than  thirteen  varieties  are  illustrated  life  size ;  other 
vegetables  follow  in  rotation.  The  variegated  Kale,  we  observe, 
is  offered,  and  for  purposes  of  ornament  in  borders,  or  for 
garnishing,  surely  a  great  deal  more  of  the  coloured  Kale  could 
be  grown.  Potatoes,  Broccoli,  Cauliflowers,  Brussels  Sprouts, 
and  Cabbages  are  liberally  and  well  represented ;  such  as  will 
make  the  practical  cultivator  linger  over  them  with  passive 
yearnings  to  emulate  by  products  of  his  own  skill  the  examples 
shown  in  Sutton’s  Amateur  Guide.  The  view  of  a  “  brake  ”  of 
the  Selected  Ailsa  Craig  Onion  on  page  57  is  specially  good,  and 
such  excellent  exhibits  of  high  cultural  skill  should  have  the 
effect  of  inciting  less  fortunate  men  to  better  results  in  future. 
Among  flowers  we  find  Primulas,  Begonias,  Poppies,  Petunias, 
Cyclamens,  Sweet  Peas,  Salpiglossis,  Aquilegias,  Pansies,  Wall¬ 
flowers,  Calceolarias,  and  very  many  annuals  and  other  beautiful 
easily-grown  plants.  All  novelties  are  specially  typified  by  a 
bold  headline.  Sutton’s  Amateurs’  Guide  in  Horticulture  is 
always  well  worthy  of  its  name,  and  that  of  the  great  firm  who 
publish  it. 
