January  5,  ISfin. 
JOURXAL  OF  HORrWULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
0 
-  Majtoe  House,  Ealing. — At  a  meeting  of  the  Ealing  Urban 
District  Council  it  was  resolved  to  accept  the  offer  of  Sir  Spencer  Walpole 
to  sell  to  the  Council,  for  the  purposes  of  a  public  park,  the  IManor  House 
estate.  The  estate  comprises  a  mansion,  at  present  occupied  by  Miss 
Perceval,  with  grounds  attached  covering  about  31  acres,  the  purchase 
price  of  which  is  £40,000.  The  sale  is  subject  to  the  life  interest  of  Miss 
Perceval,  and  the  Council  will  not  obtain  possession  till  that  lady’s  death. 
-  The  Forest  oe  Dean. — The  foresters  of  Dean  are  about  to 
enclose  the  whole  of  the  11,000  acres  which  belong  to  the  Crown,  for  it 
has  been  decided  to  restore  the  natural  aspect  of  the  forest  by  planting 
Beech  and  Oak  extensively,  with  Larch,  Chestnut,  Sycamores,  and  other 
trees.  This  treatment  has  been  recommended,  says  a  contemporary,  by 
Mr.  Hill,  conservator  of  Indian  forests,  and,  as  a  result  of  its  application, 
it  is  hoped  that  the  fine  Oak  timber  which  used  to  be  the  feature  of  this 
forest  may  again  be  seen.  An  invitation  has  been  extended  to  all  of 
those  interested  in  the  practical  management  of  the  woods  to  visit  the 
place  and  note  the  working  out  of  the  scheme, 
-  January  Weather. — We  have  had,  on  the  whole,  a  remark¬ 
ably  fine  Christmas  so  far  as  weather  is  concerned,  but  if  Mr.  Clements’ 
forecast  is  anything  like  accurate  we  shall  soon  have  a  change.  January 
generally,  he  says,  will  be  a  cold  month,  and  about  the  22nd  and  20th 
there  will  be  “  drifting  snowstorms.”  There  will  also  be  rain  or  snow 
on  the  3rd  or  4th  and  round  the  7th  and  9th.  Indeed,  the  first  and 
last  nine  or  ten  days  of  the  month  will  be  of  a  “generally  unsettled 
character.”  We  have  learned,  however,  not  to  place  much  reliance  on 
Mr.  Prophet  Clements. 
-  December  Weather  at  Hodsock  Priory. — Mean  tempe¬ 
rature,  44’2° ;  maximum  in  the  screen  58 ’6°  on  the  5th  ;  minimum  in 
screen  24'3°  on  the  31st  ;  minimum  on  the  grass  13‘1°  on  the  31st. 
Number  of  frosts  in  the  shade  nine,  on  the  grass  eighteen.  Sunshine 
twenty-five  hours,  or  11  percent,  of  the  possible  duration;  difference 
from  average,  eight.  Eainfall.  2  00;  difference  from  average  OJO; 
rainy  days,  thirteen  ;  maximum  fall,  0’48  on  the  26th.  Rainfall  from 
.lanuary  Ist  20-87  inches  ;  difference  from  average  4-41.  Mean 
temperature  3’  higher  than  any  of  the  previous  seventeen  years.  Very 
little  rain  fell  till  the  last  few  days. — J.  Mallender. 
-  Sussex  Rainfall  — The  total  rainfall  at  Stonehurst,  Ardingly. 
for  December  was  2-86  inches,  being  0  12  inch  above  the  average  ;  the 
heaviest  fall  was  0'62  inch  on  the  27th.  Rain  fell  on  sixteen  days.  The 
total  fall  for  the  year  was  23-98  inches,  which  is  6-02  short  of  the  average. 
It  has  been  the  driest  year  in  a  nineteen  years  record.  The  nearest 
approach  to  it  was  that  of  1884,  when  the  amount  was  24-05  inches. 
The  maximum  temperature  was  54°  on  the  5th  and  11th  ;  the  minimum 
25°  on  the  31st.  Mean  maximum,  47-12°  ;  mean  minimum,  38-09°  ; 
mean  temperature,  43-10°,  which  is  4-96°  above  the  average.  So  far  we 
have  had  a  green  winter,  and  December  has  been  much  too  mild. 
Early  blooming  Pears  are  swelling  their  buds  too  fast,  and  green  crops 
are  growing,  and  but  poorly  prepared  for  a  hard  frost. — R.  I. 
-  Winter  Trees  at  Hackwood  Park.— Although  at  no 
period  of  the  year  do  fine  trees  wear  so  noble  an  aspect  as  when  in  summer 
clothed  with  luxuriant  leafage,  yet  have  they  very  attractive  charms  when 
seen  in  the  winter  without  a  leaf,  and  when  on  a  bright,  clear  day  the 
stems  and  branch  sprays  stand  out  against  the  sky  in  illimitable  and 
beautiful  tracery.  Poor  must  be  the  soul  of  the  observer  who  does  not 
find  in  such  a  sight  much  to  arouse  his  higher  senses,  and  to  appeal  to 
his  admiration  of  Nature’s  handiwork  in  but  one  of  her  many  forms. 
There  are  thousands  of  noble  trees  at  Hackwood  Park,  both  on  the 
verdure  and  in  that  huge  enclosure  known  as  the  Spring  Woods.  One 
Bees  magnificent  Oak,  Elm,  Beech  (some  of  these  with  clean  stems,  as 
masts  have,  60  feet  high).  Silver  Spruce,  common  Spruce,  Larch,  Sweet 
Chestnuts,  Ash,  Lime,  Sycamore,  all  of  the  finest  description,  and  whether 
a  huge  giant  standing  alone,  whether,  as  in  these  woods,  somewhat 
densely,  or  whether  in  noble  groups  in  the  park,  trees  constitute  a  really 
grand  feature.  What  marvellous  difference  to  any  extensive  area  of  land 
is  made  by  the  presence  of  trees,  especially  of  such  trees  as  this  grand 
Hampshire  park  is  producing  !  It  is  interesting  to  see  specially,  as  I 
occasionally  like  to  do,  the  giant  Beech  in  one  part  of  the  park,  at  once 
the  finest  and  noblest  I  have  ever  seen.  Near  to  it  is  an  aged  Oak, 
on  a  branch  of  which  is  growing  a  cluster  of  Mistletoe  ;  indeed,  here 
in  the  park  may  that  parasite  be  seen  on  Elm,  Lime,  Thorn,  and  Apple, 
also  an  unusual  combination.  How  clean  and  robust  is  the  Beech  on  the 
chalk  formation  !  just  as  in  the  lower  soils  where  loam  abounds  Oak  is 
very  fine  and  healthy.  The  Park  is  for  its  trees  a  happy  hunting  ground 
Jor  artists. — AVanderek. 
-  Mr.  Briscoe-Ironside  in  Italy.— We  are  informed  that 
Mr.  Briscoe-Ironside  has  recently  concluded  arrangements  with  an 
Italian  to  found  a  business  establishment  in  the  north  of  Italy  for  the 
purpose  of  extending  the  cultivation  of  the  Chrysanthemum  in  that 
country.  Preparations  are  being  made  to  start  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
the  new  undertaking  will  be  the  first  of  its  kind.  The  firm  will  be  known 
as  Messrs.  Stroppa  and  Briscoe-Ironside,  Tradate,  Lombardy,  Italy. 
-  The  Decline  of  Coffee  Drinking.  —  Although  some 
medical  authorities  assert  that  Coffee  is  an  antiseptic  and  disinfectant  and 
effective  in  cases  of  typhoid,  the  general  consumption  of  the  berry  in 
England  does  not  increase.  It  will  be  seen  from  a  reference  to  the 
Customs’  returns  that  Coffee  is  still  on  the  decline.  This  is  due  no  doubt 
to  the  ease  with  which  Tea  can  be  brewed  by  comparison,  and  the  tre¬ 
mendous  spurt  made  of  late  years  by  the  wealthy  firms  engaged  in  pushing 
the  sale  of  Tea.  Coffee  is  left  to  struggle  on  and  live  on  its  ancient  repu¬ 
tation — a  reputation,  by  the  w  ay,  held  in  affectionate  regard  by  steady¬ 
going  Coffee  drinkers,  who  resist  all  efforts  to  wean  them  from  their 
beloved  beverage. 
-  “  The  Horticultural  Directory.”— As  has  already  been 
announced,  this  long  familiar  annual  is  now  being  issued  from  12,  Mitre 
Court  Chambers.  Besides  registering  many  more  gardening  establish¬ 
ments  and  gardeners’  addresses  than  before,  also  publishing  an  extended 
list  of  nurserymen,  seedsmen,  and  florists  in  this  and  other  countries,  as 
well  as  of  horticultural  builders,  engineers,  and  sundriesmen,  landscape 
gardeners  and  park  superintendents,  much  miscellaneous  information  is 
given  in  the  550  pages,  including  a  descriptive  register  of  the  plants 
flow-ers,  fruits,  and  vegetables  which  have  been  honoured  by  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  from  the  end  of  September,  1897,  to  the  close  of 
the  corresponding  month  in  1898.  The  present  is  the  fortieth  issue  of 
the  Directory,  and  the  price  remains  as  before— one  shilling.  It  is  alike 
suitable  for  the  tradesman’s  desk  and  the  gardener’s  table — handy  for 
reference  all  the  year  round. 
-  Depth  to  Plant  Eruit  Trees.  —  Some  time  ago  the 
“  Agricultural  Gazette  ”  obtained  the  views  of  three  eminent  nursery¬ 
men  upon  the  depth  at  which  to  plant  fruit  trees.  Two  recommended 
planting  so  that  the  budding  mark  would  be  about  2  inches  below  the 
surface  of  the  soil,  to  hide  the  scar,  and  keep  it  from  inj  y,  while  the 
third  maintained  that  the  trees  should  be  planted  at  the  same  depth  as 
they  had  stood  in  the  nursery  in  which  they  were  raised.  The  last 
objected  that  an  Apple  on  the  Paradise  stock,  for  example,  would  lose 
the  advantage  of  the  dwarf  habit  of  the  stock  if  the  scion  were  placed 
below  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  thus  w-ere  allowed  to  throw  out  roots. 
To  this  the  reply  was  that  a  scion  will  not  throw  out  roots  in  one  out  of 
a  hundred  cases.  A  fourth  authority  confirms  this  statement.  There  is, 
however,  a  further  objection  to  the  slight  extra  depth  in  planting — 
namely,  that  it  is  desirable  to  keep  the  roots  as  near  the  surface  as 
possible.  Thus  the  relative  advantages  of  the  two  methods  are  puzzling, 
and  experiments  to  decide  on  the  question  might  well  be  carried  out. — 
(“  Irish  Farmers’  Gazette.”) 
-  Gift  Plants  at  Chiswick. — The  very  large  increase  found 
annually  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  doubtles.s 
finds  some  stimulus  in  the  somewhat  liberal  distribution  of  plants  free  of 
cost  which  is  made  annually  to  these  Fellows  from  Chiswick.  Very 
much  of  the  labour  expended  there  is  connected  with  the  propagation 
and  growth  of  these  plants,  for  all  are  in  pots,  and  just  now  long 
ranges  of  pits  may  be  seen  full  of  hardy  plants,  especially  alpines,  for 
there  is  in  them  quite  a  remarkable  collection  of  Saxifrage.s,  Semper- 
vivums,  Primulacem,  and  similar  plants,  running  evidently  into  several 
thousands,  and  whilst  in  email  pots  yet  of  each  kind  quite  perfect  samples, 
such  as  any  nurseryman  might  be  proud  to  send  out  to  his  customers. 
In  other  directions  are  collections  of  herbaceous  and  American  plants, 
whilst  in  the  houses  great  quantities  of  Palms,  Ferns,  Draemnas,  Crotons, 
and  other  desirable  plants  are  being  pushed  on  for  distribution.  Certainly 
guinea  Fellows  can,  what  with  privileges,  journals,  and  plants,  get  bacx 
something  like  150  per  cent,  for  their  outlay.  I  wonder  how  far  distri¬ 
butions  of  this  kind  affect  legitimate  trade,  whether  at  all,  in  fact. 
Probably  the  thousands  of  plants  that  go  out  from  Chiswick  are,  after  all, 
but  as  a  drop  in  the  ocean ;  perhaps  they  do  but  serve  to  whet  the  appetite 
for  more,  which  have  to  be  purchased.  Certainly,  the  R.H.S.  does  so 
much  for  the  popularisation  of  horticulture  that  the  trade  have  little  room 
for  complaint.  Fellows  not  animated  by  the  lower  instinct  of  the  general, 
and  who  would  prefer  to  see  Chiswick  devoted  absolutely  to  the  highest, 
interests  of  horticulture,  may  growl  over  that  somewhat  mean  use  to 
which  the  gardens  are  put,  but  human  nature  is  still  and  ever  will  bo  of 
the  sort  that  prefers  its  pound  of  flesh  to  the  public  good. — A. 
