January  12,  189!). 
27 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Weather  in  London. — From  AVednesday  until  Saturday  of  last 
week  the  weather,  though  dull  and  cold  at  times,  was  open  and,  for 
the  first  week  in  January,  very  mild.  On  Saturday  there  were  heavy 
showers,  but  Sunday  and  Slonday  were  characterised  by  brilliant 
sunshine,  the  latter  day  being  quite  warm.  Tuesday  was  showery  in  the 
morning,'’with  hail  and  a  drenching  rain  towards  ten  o’clock  at  n’gh*’. 
Welnesday  was  bright,  with  showers  at  midday. 
Weather  in  the  North.  —  The  closing  days  of  the  year 
were  marked  by  6’  of  frost  on  the  30th,  and  8°  on  the  31st,  followed 
immediately  by  thaw.  There  were  again  on  the  7th  insf.  8°  frost,  and 
<3°  on  the  following  night,  rapidly  giving  way  to  rain.  AVith  these  excep¬ 
tions  the  record  of  the  past  two  weeks  has  been  continuous  gloom,  fog, 
and  wet.  Tuesday  morning  was  dull,  with  thermometer  at  42^— B.  D., 
S.  Perthshire. 
Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  Thos.  Harris,  for  two  years 
with  iMessrs.  J.  Laing  &:  Sons,  previously  seven  years  gardener  at 
Ashby  St.  Ledgers,  Rugby,  has  been*appointed  head  gardener  to  A.  H. 
Harman,  Esq.,  Lower  Groyswood,  Haslemore,  Surrey. 
-  Petersham  Common. — The  Board  of  Agriculture,  in  response 
to  a  memorial,  has  drawn  up  a  scheme  in  respect  of  Petersham  Common. 
This  provides  that  the  common  shall  be  regulated  and  managed  by  the 
Corporation  of  Richmond,  who  are  empowered  to  execute  drainage  and 
other  improvements,  to  plant  trees  and  shrubs,  and  render  the  ground 
more  pleasant  for  recreation  and  exercise,  but  are  inhibited  from  doing 
nnything  that  shall  otherwise  alter  its  natural  features  or  interfere  with 
free  access  to  every  part.  The  Richmond  Town  Council  are  also  deputed 
to  frame  bye-laws  for  the  regulation  of  games  and  of  assemblages  of 
persons  thereon. 
-  Drill  Hall  Displays. — AVhen  in  past  seasons  one  has  read 
in  our  Journal  that  the  various  firms  who  make  a  speciality  of  growing 
the  Primula,  Cyclamen,  Cineraria,  andj  other  florists’  flowers  have  had 
such  grand  displays  at  the  R.H.S.  Drill  Hall  meetings,  a  feeling  of  regret 
at  not  being  able  to  see  them  is  often  expressed.  I  think  if  the  lar<’e 
firms  who  cultivate  those  flowers  so  welt  were  to  advertise  when  their 
specialities  were  likely  to  be  seen  at]  the  Drill  Hall  it  would  give  those 
interested  the  opportunity  of  seeing  them.  I  am  aware  that  such  intima¬ 
tions  have  been  given,  but  very  rarely.  Of  course  we  are  cordially 
invited  to  “come  and  see”  the  flowers  at  home,  but  when  the  naturally 
desired  “order”  cannot  easily  be  left  behind  one  feels  a  little  reluctance 
in  spite  of  the  invitation. — A  Beckenhamite. 
- The  Secretaryship  op  the  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan 
Fond.— Rumour,  as  might  be  ’expected,  is  busy,  ubiquitous  and  perhaps 
exaggerated,  in  regard  tOj'tho  ] vacancy  which  is  created  by  Mr.  Barron’s 
retirement.  It  is  to  the  effectRhat  there  are  hundreds  ot  applications 
from  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  not  to  say  lady  gardeners.  The 
army,  navy,  church,  law,  press,  as  well  as  the  gardening  fraternitj’,  are  all 
said  to  be  represente.d.  If  all  is  true  that  is  heard  on  the  matter,  the 
special  Committee  appointed  to  consider  the  applications  have  no  light 
task  before  them.  For  ourselves  we  hope  that,  as  the  inception  of  the 
Fund  must  be  credited  to  gardeners,  someone  intimately  connected  with 
gardening  will  be  found  to  possess  the  requisite  qualifications  for  the 
position.  On  one  point  at  least  there  will  he  unanimity — namely,  that  the 
health  of  Mr.  Barron  will  be  greatly  improve!  and  eventually  completely 
restored  by  the  rest  from  duty  that  he  deserves  so  well. 
-  Is  the  post  soon  to  be  vacated  by  Mr.  Barron  to  be  filled  by  the 
Committee,  or  at  the  next  annual  meeting?  This  question  arises  out  of 
the  somewhat  vague  wording  of  the  advertisement  for  a  Secretary. 
Another  and  pertinent  question  is  the  following ; — Is  the  personal 
canvassing  of  individual  membersXof  Committee  by  prospective 
secretaries  quite  in  order  or  politic  [in  a  [charitable  institution  above  all 
others  ?  It  is  an  open  secret  that  this  has  been  freely  done.  Those  who 
•have  thus  acted  are  perhaps  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  in  many  similar 
advertisements  canvassing  the  Executive  is  held  to  be  a  direct  disqualifica¬ 
tion.  AVhy  not  so  in  the  case  now  under  consideration  ?  If  the  election 
■ie  made  at  the  annual  meeting,  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  bo  by  ballot. 
— Annual  Subscriber. 
• — —  Frozen  Seeds. — Experiments  with  plant  seeds  subjected  to 
extreme  cold  have  shown  that  the  power  of  germination  is  not  destroyed, 
but  merely  suspended  by  the  cold.  By  the  use  of  liquid  air,  seeds  ot 
Barle3%  Oats,  Squash,  Cucumber,  Reas,  Sunflower,  and  some  other  plants, 
were  reccntl}' kept  for  1 10  hours  at  a  cold  of  18  3®  to  192'  Centigradt  • 
They'  were  then  carefully  and  slowly  thawed  for  fifty  hours.  After 
sowing  (says  an  American  contemporary)  they  germinated  as  well  as  if 
they  had  not  been  frozen. 
-  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  —  AA'e 
remind  our  readers  that  the  sixtieth  annual  general  meeting  and  election 
of  pensioners  of  this  Institution  will  take  place  at  Simpson’s,  101,  Strand, 
London,  on  Thursday,  January  19th,  at  3  P.M.,  and  that  the  usutl 
annual  friendly  supper  will  bo  held  at  the  same  place  and  on  the  same 
date,  at  6  P.M.,  when  the  chair  will  be  taken  by  Mr.  George  Monro  of 
Covent  Garden,  member  of  the  Committee  of  Management.  Those 
friends  wdro  desire  to  bo  present  on  the  occasion  should  intimate  thtir 
intention  to  the  Secretary  on  or  before  Monday  next  the  16th  inst.,  at 
the  offices,  175,  Victoria  Street,  London,  S.VA’'; 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society.  —  The  annual  general 
meeting  of  the  Society  will  be  held,  by  kind  permission  of  the  Council, 
at  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Great  George  Street,  AA'cst- 
minster,  on  AVednesday,  the  18th  inst.,  at  7.45  P.M.,  when  the  report 
ot  the  Council  will  be  read,  the  election  cf  officers  and  Council  for  the 
ensuing  year  will  take  place,  and  the  President  (Mr.  F.  Campbell 
Bayard,  LL,M.)  will  deliver  an  address  on  “  The  Government  Meteoro¬ 
logical  Organisations  inj  Various  Parts  of  the  AVorld,”  which  will  be 
illustrated  by  Lantern  Slides.  The  above  meeting  will  be  preceded  by 
an  ordinary  meeting,  which  will  commence  at  7.30  P.M. 
-  Aloes — It  is  fortunate  that  so  many  members  of  the  above 
S.  African  family  open  their  flowers  in  the  winter,  tlie  largo  spike.s  of 
gorgeous  b!o*oms  making  a  striking  feature  when  most  things  are  at  rest. 
In  the  succulent  house  at  Kow  a  num'  er  of  plants  are  now  at  their  best, 
and  quite  a  nice  show  is  made.  Among  the  most  noticeable  are 
A.  friiticosa,  with  scapes  2^  feet  long,  bearing  dense  heads  of  orange  red 
flowers,  8  inches  long.  Sever. il  plants  of  A.  pluridens,  with  branched 
racemes,  the  flowers  varying  on  different  plants  from  yel’ow  to  red» 
The  3tur,!y  glaucous,  purplish  leaved  A,  purpurascen^,  wdth  a  strong 
spike  of  red  green-tipped  flowers.  A.  brachystachys,  with  long,  slender 
spikes,  end  A.  fru'escens.  The  latter  is  represented  by  a  particularly 
fine  specimen.  It  is  one  of  the  smaUer  Paved  section,  and  branches  freely 
to  form  a  large  bush  ;  on  this  a  large  number  of  flower  heads  are  pro¬ 
duced  on  scapes  2  to  2^  feet  long.  Besides  these  a  number  of  plants  are 
flowering  in  the  Mexican  house  ;  those  ar  ■  planted  at  the  base  of  pillars, 
and  are  seen  to  the  best  possible  advantage.  A.  arboroscens  and  platy- 
lepis  are  a  fine  sight  ;  several  large,  many-branchod  racemes  of  brigh  t 
red  flowers  are  now  at  their  best,  the  flowers  being  shown  off  finely 
against  the  light  colour  of  the  building.  A  glance  at  the  strength  of 
these  flower  he.ads  is  enough  to  show  the  advant  ge  of  the  planting  out 
sys'em.— D.  K. 
-  Spade  Labour.— In  the  extract  from  Mr.  AA’’.  Roupeli’s  paper 
on  “  Suburban  Fruit  Growing,”  published  in  your  last  issue,  there  i.s 
special  reference  to  the  need  of  training  youths  in  the  use  of  the  spade  in 
gardens.  No  doubt  the  use  of  the  spade  or  fork,  wherewith  to  trench, 
ridge,  or  dig,  is  not  popular  with  those  young  men  who  regard  all  work 
outside  of  houses  as  menial  and  vulgar  ;  but  a  pretty  sort  of  head 
gardener  will  he  ultimately  make  who  has  not  when  young  learned  to  use 
the  spade.  AA'hen  I  read  this  little  reflection  of  Mr.  Roupell’s,  my  mind  was 
naturally  carried  to  the  work  being  so  largely  done  in  Surrey  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  boys’  continuation  school  gardens,  under  the  County  Council, 
where  hundreds  of  youths  are  annually  being  taught,  not  only  how'  to 
best  handle  or  use  spade  and  fork,  but  also  to  utilise  them  in  the  cropping 
of  small  areas  of  ground  profitably.  Lads  so  instructed  prove  to  be  very 
valuable  helpers  when  they  drift  off  into  private,  market,  or  other  gardens 
•somewhere,  as  many  of  them  do.  No  one  more  than  Mr.  Roupell  would 
be  gladdened  to  see  these  lads  at  the  work  on  summer  evenings.  AA'e 
w.int  an  army  of  diggers  and  forkers  in  this  country,  hccause  it  is  only 
through  such  agency  that  soil  can  be  made  fully  capable  of  giving  forth  of 
its  productions.  I  have  regretted  to  learn  that  in  some  places,  hecauso  lads 
are  not  regarded  as  eligible  for  this  training  until  they  have  left  school, 
the  Educational  Department  somewhat  harshly  interposing,  that  some 
groups  of  gardens  have  to  be  closed,  as  boys  seem  so  much  sought  for 
they  are  found  employment  the  moment  they  leave  school,  and  school 
horticulture  is  of  little  value.  No  better  authority  for  the  promotion  of 
gardening  amongst  the  3'ouDg  exists  than  the  County’  Council. — D. 
