582 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  December  26,  1901. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. 
The  Prince  of  Wales  lias  consented  to  become  the  President 
of  The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution,  in  succession  to 
His  Majesty  the  King,  who  is  now  Patron  of  the  Charity. 
Growing  and  Showing  Tea  Roses. 
A  symposium  of  information  on  this  subject  has  been  pre¬ 
pared  by  Rev.  F.  R.  Burnside,  Mr.  O.  G.  Orpen,  and  Rev.  Page 
Roberts  for  the  National  Rose  Society,  and  has  lately  been  issued. 
Lists  of  twentv-four  and  of  twelve  exhibition  Tea  Roses  are  pro¬ 
vided,  also  short  chapters  on  Pruning,  Disbudding,  Pests,  Stocks, 
Manure,  and  Exhibiting. 
Our  Fa^m  Page. 
To  those  who  delight  in  the  work  and  scope  of  farming  we 
would  direct  their  attention  to  the  interesting  review  of  one 
of  the  large  agricultural  “  annals,”  on  page  589  of  the  present 
issue.  There  they  will  discover  how  greatly  prized  English  farm 
stock  (animals)  are  by  the  agriculturists  and  animal  breeders  in 
all  parts  of  the  world  •  and  gardeners  might  well  read  the  article 
we  draw  attention  to,  as  tending  to  afford  a  truer  notion  of 
English  agricultural  importance  and  ideals  in  certain  lines. 
The  late  Mr.  A.  J.  Stanton. 
We  learned  with  sorrow  last  week  of  the  death  of  this  gentle¬ 
man,  who  for  the  past  eight  years  has  been  editor  of  the  “  Mark 
Lane  Express,”  a  semi-agricultural  newspaper.  Mr.  Stanton, 
who  was  a  native  of  Northampton,  was  connected  writh  the  Press 
first  in  that  town,  and  afterwards  in  Herefordshire,  before  going 
to  London.  He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  very  capable  jour¬ 
nalist,  and  was  exceedingly  popular  with  all  ranks  of  the  profes¬ 
sion,  his  genial  and  kindly  manner  making  him  a  general  favourite. 
Edinburgh  Seed  Trade  Assistants. 
At  the  recent  annual  dinner  of  the  above  jovial  and  numerous 
body  of  men,  in  proposing  a  toast  to  the  “  Seed  Trade  Assistants,” 
Mr.  Bieberstedt  invited  the  kindly  co-operation  of  employers  on 
behalf  of  the  assistants  as  a  body,  believing  that  this  would 
greatly  benefit  all  concerned.  Responding,  Mr.  T.  Alison 
suggested  the  formation  of  an  association  of  the  assistants  in  the 
seed  trade,  with  the  view’  of  improving  their  position,  if  from  no 
other  than  an  educational  point  of  view.  They  were  a  fairly 
prosperous  body  of  young  men,  and  had  not  found  it  necessary 
to  resort  to  any  extreme  measures  in  their  business  relations  w  ith 
their  employers,  but  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  thev  would 
be  none  the  w'orse  of  being  thoroughly  organised.  Query :  Why 
is  it  that  we  do  not  hear  of  “  annual  dinners  ”  having  been  held 
by  the  seed-trade  assistants  of  other  large  centres? 
Death  of  an  Edinburgh  Seedsman  in  New  York  State. 
It  is  with  deep  regret  that  we  learn  from  “  American  Garden¬ 
ing  ”  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Alexander  Waite,  which  occurred  under 
rather  tragic  circumstances  at  the  residence  of  his  brother,  Mr. 
W.  H.  Waite,  superintendent  to  Samuel  Untermyer,  Esq.,  Grey- 
stone,  Yonkers,  N.Y.  Deceased  is  a  son  of  Mr.  Alexander  Waite, 
late  gardener  at  Manderston,  Duns,  Berwickshire,  Scotland,  and 
was  resident  in  Edinburgh  for  over  eleven  years.  He  was  em¬ 
ployed  in  Messrs.  Peter  Lawson  and  Co.’s,  seedsmen,  Edinburgh, 
during  that  period,  and  had  worked  his  way  step  by  step  to  a 
responsible  position  in  that  establishment ;  being  of  a  cheerful 
disposition  he  was  liked  and  respected  by  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  Being  desirous  of  gaining  insight  in  his  profession, 
he  went  to  America  recently  and  obtained  a  position  in  Messrs. 
Peter  Henderson  and  Co.,  seedsmen,  NewT  York.  The  manager 
in  that  firm  writes  that  his  death  cast  quite  a  gloom  over  the 
establishment,  and  although  only  ten  weeks  there  he  had  shown 
qualities  which  endeared  him  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con¬ 
tact.  He  went  out  from  New  York  on  Wednesday  evening, 
November  27,  intending  to  spend  Thanksgiving  Day  with  his 
friends  at  Greystone,  and  retired  to  rest  in  his  usual  good  health 
and  spirits.  In  the  room  he  occupied  there  wqs  a  gas  stove  with 
two  stopcocks,  one  at  the  stove  and  another  where  the  rubber 
tube  connects  the  gas  pipe.  He  mad®  the  lamentable  mistake  of 
turning  the  stop-cock  next  the  stove  and  leaving  the  other  open. 
When  his  room  was  entered  in  the  morning  he  was  dead, 
death  resulting  from  asphyxiation.  Much  sympathy  is  felt  for  his 
relatives  both  in  America  and  in  Edinburgh,  especially  his 
parents,  who  are  well  advanced  in  years,  and  to  whom  this  is  a 
heavy  blow. 
Trade  Note, 
Messrs.  Brinkvorth  and  Sons,  Potato  growers  and  shippers, 
fruit  merchants  and  commission  agents,  inform  us  that  they  have 
changed  their  address  (too  late  for  “  Directory  ”  this  year)  from 
Winchester  to  50,  High  Street,  Southampton. 
Big  Cabbages. 
There  was  a  very  keen  competition  in  the  Cabbage  section  at 
the  recent  Scottish  National  Show.  The  offer  by  Mr.  John  Gillies 
of  £100  in  Challenge  Cups  and  cash  prizes  for  the  best  Cabbages 
grown  from  plants  supplied  by  him  brought  out  a  large  entry 
in  both  the  classes  set  apart  for  this  competition.  The  judges 
did  not  go  entirely  by  weight,  as  there  was  also  quality  to  be 
considered,  and  besides,  some  of  the  Cabbages  had  thick  heavv 
shanks  attached  to  them,  while  others  were  trimmed  close  up  to 
the  bulb.  The  first  prize  Challenge  Cup,  value  £30,  to  become  the 
property  of  any  winner  for  two  consecutive  years,  and  £10  in 
money  ;  second  prize,  £10 ;  third  prize,  £5,  were  awarded  as 
follows;  1,  T.  W.  Turnbull,  Wark,  three  Cabbages,  791b  ;  2,  T.  M. 
Skirving,  Niddrie  Mains,  three  Cabbages,  771b  ;  3,  T.  W.  Turn- 
bull,  Wark,  three  Cabbages,  771b;  so  that  2331b,  or  over  16|st 
for  nine  Cabbages,  is  surely  a  very  respectable  -weight. 
Dinner  to  Messrs.  Hurst  and  Sons’  Employes. 
A  very  pleasant  function  was  fulfilled  on  the  evening  of  the 
19th  inst..  when  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  the  head  of  the  house  of  Messrs. 
Hurst  and  Sons,  of  152.  Houndsditch,  E.C.,  entertained  at  dinner, 
in  the  Venetian  Chamber,  Holborn  Restaurant,  the  employes  of  the 
firm  and  some  personal  friends.  Mr.  Edward  Sherwood,  the  second 
son  of  Mr.  Sherwood.  was  also  present,  and  assisted  in  the  musical 
arrangements.  Over  100  were  present.  Mr.  A.  Wolton  proposed 
Success  to  the  Firm  ”  and  briefly  sketched  the  circumstances  of  its 
formation  and  its  continuous  development,  and  spoke  of  it  as  being  at 
the  head  of  the  wholesale  seed  trade.  On  rising  to  reply,  Mr. 
Sherwood  was  warmly  greeted.  He  stated  that  he  entered  the  house, 
when  a  lad.  thirty-nine  years  ago,  when  the  business  was  carried  on  at 
6  Leadenhall  Street,  and  in  the  lifetime  of  Mr.  William  Hurst,  sen. 
’  7  ■> 
the  founder  of  the  firm.  At  that  time  the  office  staff  consisted  of 
three  persons — the  cashier,  ledger  clerk,  and  himself ;  and  it  fell  to 
his  lot  to  enter  the  orders  in  the  day  book.  The  seed  catalogue  of 
that  day  was  a  sheet  of  four  pages ;  now  it  was  a  document  of 
some  100  pages.  At  that  time  they  thought  fifty  letters  a  day  a  large 
post ;  now  it  averaged  over  500.  When  he  joined  the  firm  they  made 
long  days,  working  till  ten  o’clock  at  night,  and  having  barely  ten 
minutes  in  which  to  get  their  dinner.  They  did  work,  said  Mr. 
Sherwood,  in  those  days.  He  had  himself  a  good  share  of  hard  work 
during  the  past  thirty-nine  years ;  but  he  was  blessed  with  two 
excellent  sons  who  were  now  taking  an  active  part  in  the  business, 
and  he  was  looking  forward  to  a  time  of  comparative  ease.  He  had 
also  an  excellent  staff,  several  of  whom  had  been  in  the  firm  for  many 
years,  men  whom  he  could  fully  trust.  So  he  felt  justified  in  looking 
forward  to  a  life  of  greater  ease  in  the  future.  Numerous  other 
toasts  followed. 
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. 
1901. 
December. 
o  > 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
c 
tf 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
U 
s  cc 
■g  £  00 
Sgg 
is 
O  Qj 
u 
o 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
cn 
CD 
too 
5 
09 
(D 
es 
o 
J  s  g 
CD  ° 
H 
Sunday  ...15 
N.N.E. 
deg. 
33-0 
deg. 
3T5 
deg. 
36-8 
deg. 
32-5 
Ins. 
deg. 
399 
deg. 
43-3 
deg. 
46-5 
deg. 
26-7 
Monday  ...16 
N.E. 
36-0 
33-9 
41-2 
32-0 
— 
38-1 
42-8 
46-5 
25-6 
Tuesday  ..17 
S.E. 
24’5 
23.6 
41-4 
23-3 
— 
37-2 
42-1 
46-3 
19-6 
We(Psday  18 
W.S.W. 
33-1 
320 
41-0 
24'8 
— 
36-7 
41-6 
46-1 
25 '4 
Thursday  19 
S.W. 
28-6 
28-2 
39-5 
25-5 
— 
36-4 
4T2 
45-9 
186 
Friday  ...20 
N.W. 
27-9 
27-0 
34'5 
24-1 
— 
36-0 
40-8 
45'6 
19-0 
Saturday  21 
N.W. 
330 
31-8 
34-0 
27’8 
359 
40-5 
45-3 
26-3 
Means  ... 
30-9 
29-7 
38-3 
27-1 
Total. 
37-2 
41*8 
46-0 
23-0 
Another  week  of  dull  weather,  with  fog  and  cold  biting  winds,  and 
a  low  temperature  generally. 
