586  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER,  December  26,  1901. 
Children,  and  Flowers. 
Those  who  are  grown  old,  and  who  are  devoted  to  gardening 
and  flowers,  can  nearly  always  ascribe  their  fidelity  in  this  direc¬ 
tion  to  the  training  received  in  the  days  of  youth  and  adolescence. 
The  child — the  boy  or  girl — the  youths  and  maidens  who  are 
properly  encouraged  by  parents  or  guardians  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  wonderful  mystery  and  interest  of  plant  life,  and  to  tend  in 
watchfulness  to  the  simple  needs  of  the  flowers,  never  quite 
forget  the  peaceful  pleasure  and  the  rewards  a  garden  will  give 
to  those  who  truly  love  it.  Not  even  a  busy  life  in  business  or 
other  calling  can  crush  out  the  remembrance  of  the  achievements 
in  the  little  garden  plots  around  the  old  home,  and  thus  it  follows 
that  the  man  from  dim  and  dusty  city  offices,  or  from  the  exac¬ 
tions  of  laboratories,  of  class-rooms,  and  of  courts  of  law,  again 
invariably  returns  in  the  evening  of  his  days  uo  pursue  the  past 
hobby  of  boyhood  with  an  interest  manifestly  strengthened. 
The  little  child  seen  kissing  the  flowers  in  the  picture  on 
this  page  has  been  taught  to  love  them  by  her  father  and  mother, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bygrave,  of  The  Gardens,  Rous  Bench  Court,  near 
Evesham,  in  Worcestershire.  Mr.  Bygrave  writes  saying,  ‘-The 
photograph  is  a  snapshot  of  my  daughter,  aged  eighteen  months, 
caught  in  the  act  of  kissing  the  flowers.  We  have  taught  the 
child  to  love  the  flowers,  and  not  to  pull  them.”  We  congratulate 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bygrave  in  having  such  a  beautiful  little  darling, 
and  if  she  is  typical  of  Worcestershire  babes  then  rich  must  that 
county  be.  Long  may  she  be  spared,  and  long  may  her  love  for 
flowers  and  things  helpless  continue. 
- <*•*> - 
Societies. 
Birmingham  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  annual  dinner  was  held  at  the  Colonnade  Hotel  on  the 
19th  inst.,  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham  in  the  chair,  and  Mr.  Walter 
Jones  vice-chairman.  The  postprandial  proceedings  were  of 
an  enjoyable  character,  and  following  the  customary  loyal 
toasts,  the  chairman,  in  the  course  of  a  felicitous  speech, 
announced  that  notwithstanding  a  considerable  falling-off  in 
the  pecuniary  receipts  at  the  recent  exhibition  held  in  Bingley 
Hall,  the  committee  Avere  in  a  position  to  justify  the  formu¬ 
lating  a  schedule  for  next  year’s  show.  Responding  to  the  toast 
to  the  “  Special  prize  donors  and  the  non-competitive  exhibitors,” 
Mr.  Robert  Sydenham  voiced  the  satisfaction  of  those  thus  con¬ 
cerned  regarding  the  treatment  accorded  them  by  the  com¬ 
mittee  ;  also  that  he  himself  proposed  to  continue  to  support 
the  society  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power. — G. 
Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association. 
A  dissertation  upon  Conifers,  illustrated  by  cones,  was  the 
subject  propounded  by  Mr.  W.  Gardiner,  Harborne,  Birming¬ 
ham,  before  the  fortnightly  meeting,  on  the  16th  inst.,  at  the 
Athletic  Institution,  presided  over  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham.  The 
collection  of  branchleted  cones,  comprising  as  it  did  upwards  of 
sixty  species,  besides  branclilets  of  numerous  other  species,  was 
pronounced  by  the  chairman  as  the  finest  collection  he  had  ever 
seen  exhibited  by  one  person.  The  exhibitor  remarked  that  he 
was  deeply  indebted  to  the  managers  of  two  or  three  of  the  most 
notable  Pineta  in  England  for  the  kindness  in  favouring  him 
with  the  chief  portion,  and  containing  as  it  did  several  rare 
kinds,  and  the  remainder  by  local  friends.  In  addition  to 
describing  the  species,  the  lecturer  briefly  disquisionised  on  the 
relative  position  the  Coniferse  occupied  in  the  arboreal  king¬ 
dom  ;  also  their  classification  and  nomenclature  of  some  of  the 
genera.  The  principal  portion  of  the  specimens  exhibited  con¬ 
sisted  of  such  as  those  of  Pines,  Picea,  Sequoias,  Cedrus, 
Cryptomeria.  and  Cupressineae ;  but  the  Silver  Fir  (Abies) 
section  were,  unfortunately,  absent,  owing  to  the  difficulty  in 
obtaining  them  so  late  in  the  year,  and  their  destruction  by 
squirrels  and  birds.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  duly  accorded 
Mr.  Gardiner  for  his  interesting  and  instructive  exposition. 
Mr.  Latham  exhibited  a  collection  of  dried  foliage  of  several  of 
the  New  Zealand  and  Phillipine  Islands  Coniferse,  such  as  the 
Dammaras  (Agathis)  and  Dacradiums  Franklini  and  Cupres- 
sinum,  and  a  cone  of  Araucaria  Bidwilli  preserved  forty  years 
ago. 
Waterford  Horticultural  Society. 
Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  D.  Cantwell,  of  Terminus  House, 
Waterford,  wc  are  informed  of  the  annual  general  meeting  of 
the  above  society,  which  was  held  on  Friday,  December  13.  The 
hon.  treasurer’s  statement  of  accounts  shows  a  credit  balance  of 
£7  7s.  8d.,  including  £1  4s.  Id.  carried  forward  from  last  year. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  society  is  not  in  a  position  to  at  present 
undertake  the  liability  of  a  summer  show.  The  Chrysanthemum 
show  held  on  November  8  was  very  successful.  The  committee 
would  suggest  the  advisability  of  the-  Council  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  being  approached  on  the  subject,  with  a  view  of 
inducing  them  to  allow  an  interval  of  a  day  between  their  shows 
and  that  held  in  Waterford,  which  would  afford  competitors  at 
Dublin  time  to  arrange  for  patronising  the  Waterford  Show. 
Mr.  W.  G.  D.  Goff,  Glenville,  having  again  won  the  silver  cup  for 
the  best  group  of  Chrysanthemum  plants,  it  has  now  become  his 
property.  To  enable  the  society  to  offer  a  new  one  next  year,  he 
very  kindly  sent  a  cheque  for  £10.  The  display  of  field  crops,  as 
in  previous  years,  played  a  prominent  part,  the  number  of  entries 
“we  have  taught  her  to  love  the  flowers.” 
being  very  large  and  exhibits  of  fine  quality,  keen  competition 
resulted  for  the  silver  cups  offered  by  Messrs.  W.  Power  and  Co. 
and  Mr.  Thomas  Whittle.  Messrs.  Glennie,  of  Curraghmore  Farm, 
and  Mitchell,  of  Bessborough  Farm,  were  the  judges  in  these 
classes,  and  their  judgment  proved  faultless.  Messrs.  M. 
Saunders  and  Sons,  Friar’s  Walk  Nurseries,  Cork,  staged  an 
exceptionally  fine  collection  of  Apples  and  Pears,  over  seventy 
different  varieties,  which  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention,  and 
for  which  the  committee  had  much  pleasure  in  awarding  a  special 
certificate.  Messrs.  Isaac  House  and  Son,  of  Bristol,  also  had  a 
stand  of  the  latest  and  best  varieties  of  Violets,  both  double 
and  single,  which  were  greatly  admired.  Some  discussion  fol¬ 
lowed,  after  the-  report  had  been  adopted,  as  to  filling  the  posts 
of  secretary  and  treasurer.  These  have  been  very  onerous  posts, 
and  now  that  the  society  has  reached  smooth  waters,  Mr.  Richard¬ 
son,  the  late  treasurer,  and  Mr.  D.  Cantwell  wished  to  retire 
and  enjoy  a  rest.  Mr.  Cantwell  had,  however,  to  undertake  the 
secretaryship  for  another  year,  but  Mr.  Richardson  was  even¬ 
tually  succeeded  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Lapham.  The  officers  as  elected 
are: —  President :  Raymond  De  La  Poer,  J.P.  ;  vice-presidents  : 
The  Mayor  of  Waterford,  W.  G.  D.  Goff,  J.P.,  J.  N.  White,  J.P.  ; 
Alexander  Nelson,  J.P.,  D.L.  ;  T.  W.  Anderson  J.P.,  D.L.  ; 
committee:  W.  H.  Fennessy,  W.  Gallwey,  J.P.  ;  H.  Innes,  J.  A. 
Power,  R.  Macbeth,  James  Moloneju  J.  A.  Oakshott,  Frank 
Power,  John  Strangman,  W.  Taylor,  A.  White,  W.  Richardson; 
hon.  secretary:  D.  Cantwell,  Terminus  House,  Waterford;  hon. 
treasurer  :  J.  W.  Lapham.  We  wish  the  society  continued  suc¬ 
cess  in  the  years  to  come. 
