January  19,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
47 
-  Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  W.  Owen,  general  foreman 
at  Madresfield  Court  Gardens  for  the  past  three  years,  has  been  appointed 
head  gardener  to  the  Hon.  G.  H.  AIlsopp,  M.l’.,  Foston  Hall,  Derby,  in 
succession  to  Mr.  G.  Lewis,  who  retires  from  gardening,  and  takes  up 
farming  in  March  next. 
-  Heavy  Kainfall  in  Scotland. — Last  week  (page  29)  we 
published  monthly  accounts  of  rain  at  Curraghmore,  Ireland,  the  year’s 
total  amounting  to  42'59  inches.  A  correspondent  now  sends  us  the 
following  records  : — “The  rainfall  for  1898  recorded  at  North  Craig 
Reservoir,  parish  of  Kilmarnock,  was  in  January  3‘15  inches  ;  February, 
4‘1()  ;  March,  1*85  ;  April,  2-05  ;  May,  1*95  ;  June,  2‘70  ;  July,  1‘65  ; 
August,  5  00  ;  September,  5*00  ;  October,  4*05  ;  November,  5  95  ; 
December,  7*75.  Total,  46*10.  Average  yearly  fall,  41*94  inches.” 
-  Shirley  Gardeners’  Association. — The  monthly  meeting 
of  above  Society  was  held  at  the  Parish  Room,  Shirley,  Southampton, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Technical  Education  Committee,  Southampton 
County  Council.  Mr.  W.  F.  G.  Spranger,  C.C.,  presided,  and  a  good 
number  of  the  members  were  present.  The  lecture,  which  was  entitled 
“  The  Effects  of  Electricity  on  Plants,”  was  given  by  R.  W.  Stewart, 
Esq.,  D.Sc.,  London,  Principal  of  Hartley  College,  Southampton,  was 
illustrated  by  diagrams,  electric  apparatus,  and  lantern  slides,  and  was 
both  interesting  and  instructive. 
-  A  Useful  Desk  Pad. — We  have  just  had  forwarded  to  us 
one  of  the  most  useful  desk  pads  we  have  seen.  It  is  from  the  great 
sundriesmen,  Messrs.  Wood  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Wood  Green.  For  gardeners  it 
should  be  extremely  valuable,  more  particularly  perhaps  the  diary  given 
on  the  left  hand  side,  and  in  which  each  day  is  allotted  goodly  space. 
Important  memoranda  made  therein  could  scarcely  he  lost,  and  certainly 
would  be  handy  for  reference.  The  pages  are  interleaved  with 
blotting  paper,  and  that  means  a  saving  of  valuable  time  when  work 
presses.  The  central  portion  is  devoted  to  the  customary  blotting 
sheets,  while  on  the  right  is  the  pencil  in  its  loop  of  elastic,  pockets  for 
paper  and  envelopes,  and  a  tablet  for  notes  of  moment.  The  left  and 
right  hand  sides  close  over  the  central  pad  when  it  is  not  in  use. 
-  .Horticultural  Club.  —  The  usual  monthly  dinner  and 
conversazione  took  place  on  Tuesday  last.  The  chair  was  occupied  by 
Mr.  Harry  .T.  Veitch,  and  there  were  present  besides  the  Rev.  W.  Wilks, 
the  Rev.  J.  H.  Pemberton,  Messrs.  Charles  Shea,  George  Monro,  James  H. 
Veitch,  G.  Bunyard,  C.  T.  Druery,  and  others.  The  discussion  was  opened 
by  Mr.  Chas.  E.  Shea  with  an  interesting  paper,  entitled  “  A  Chat  About 
Chrysanthemums.”  Many  points  of  much  value  were  brought  forward, 
and  there  seemed  to  be  an  unanimous  revolt  against  the  race  for  size 
which  now  marks  the  Chrysanthemum.  Most  of  the  members  took  part 
in  the  discussion  which  followed  over  the  paper,  and  many  interesting 
statements  were  made.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr. 
Shea.  It  was  announced  by  the  Secretary  that  the  annual  meeting  would 
be  held  on  February  14th,  when  the  chair  would  be  taken  by  Sir  John 
Llewelyn,  Bart.,  M.P.,  the  Chairman  of  the  Club,  and  ladies  would  be 
specially  invited  to  attend. 
-  Making  Peach  Borders. — Certainly  I  have  every  reason  to 
be  satisfied  with  the  results  of  ray  request  for  criticism  on  a  proposed 
compost  for  a  Peach  border.  That  the  compost  has  been  unanimously 
condemned  as  too  rich  and  soft  I  fully  realise,  and  trust  that  young 
gardeners  who  may  some  day  have  to  perform  the  work  of  making  stone 
fruit  as  well  as  Vine  borders,  have  noted  the  criticisms,  and  will  benefit 
by  them.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  evils  which  have  come  to 
both  Vines  and  stone  fruits  have  largely  arisen  from  over-made,  too 
enriched  soft  borders,  which  have  bred  in  the  Vines  and  trees  all  sorts  of 
diseases.  I  have  been  specially  pleased  to  have  drawn  from  his  well- 
earned  retirement  that  fine  old  gardener,  Mr.  David  Thomson,  w’hose  long 
life  experience  in  these  matters  should  make  him  a  master  to  whom 
young  men  should  listen  with  all  due  respect.  Youth  is  often  in  a  hurry, 
but  the  old  greyheads  of-  the  profession  know  from  life-long  experience 
that  too  great  haste  in  culture  too  often  leads  to  failure.  Gardening  is 
of  so  progressive  a  character  that  even  the  oldest  have  never  done 
learning.  I  should  not  like  to  be  always  suggesting  subjects  for  criticism, 
as  some  may  be  more  or  less  empirical,  but  there  does  constantly  occur  to 
readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  topics  of  exceeding  practical 
interest,  and  the  starting  of  one  of  these  topics  now  and  then  with  such 
results  as  have  followed  my  little  venture,  cannot  have  other  than  very 
practical  value.  Being  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind  I  prefer  practical 
writing,  hence  I  thought  what  so  far  has  been  done  is  well  worthy  of  more 
complete  following. — A.  D. 
-  What  is  the  ‘‘Record”  Crop  for  an  Apple  Tree? — In 
an  account  of  a  remarkable  old  orchard  in  the  United  States,  given  in  an 
American  paper,  the  writer  states  that  the  late  owner  often  picked  twenty 
barrels  of  greenings  from  one  tree.  Now  twenty  barrels  would  he 
nearly  60  bushels,  and  such  a  yield  is  almost  incredible.  Are  there  any 
records  of  great  yields  of  Apples  per  tree  in  this  country  ?  Perhaps  you 
or  some  of  your  readers  may  have  memoranda  of  wonderful  yields. — 
Inquirer.  [We  have  assisted  to  gather  80  pecks  of  fruit  from  a 
standard  Apple  tree,  and  were  informed  that  its  maximum  crop  amounted 
to  120  pecks.  This  is  only  half  the  above  “record.”  Perhaps  some  of 
our  readers  may  be  cognisant  of  heavy  yields  by  individual  trees.] 
-  Isle  of  Wight. — The  annual  meeting  of  the  Isle  of  Wight 
Horticultural  Improvement  Association  was  held  at  Newport  Guildhall 
on  Saturday  last.  Dr.  J.  Groves,  B.A,,  J.P.,  presided  over  a  large 
attendance  of  members  from  all  parts  of  the  Island.  After  the  confirma¬ 
tion  of  the  minutes  of  the  last  annual  meeting  the  report  for  1898  was 
adopted,  on  the  proposition  of  the  Chairman,  seconded  by  Mr.  R.  F. 
Eldridge,  Vice-Chairman  of  the  County  Council  and  Chairman  of  the 
Technical  Education  Committee.  Then  followed  the  election  of  officers 
for  the  ensuing  year,  after  which  a  social  entertainment  took  place  at 
Warburton’.s  Hotel.  Mr.  A.  Guy  staged  a  collection  of  well-grown 
Cyclamen,  for  which  he  received  a  vote  of  thanks. 
-  Heat  at  the  Antipodes. — The  subjoined  figures  from  a 
daily  contemporary  will  probably  assist  some  readers  to  become  reconcilerl 
to  the  weather  and  its  vagaries  to  which  we  are  being  subjected.  An 
abnormal  heat  wave  passed  over  the  Colony  of  Victoria,  Australia,  la-^t 
month,  and  on  the  5th  the  “  record  ”  was  nearly  beaten.  The  maximum 
in  Melbourne  was  109*4'^  in  the  shade  at  3.45  P.M.,  and  158*3°  in  the  sun, 
while  Mildura  registered  110°  and  Swan  Hill  112°  in  the  shade.  The  day 
began  in  Melbourne  with  a  shade  temperature  of  96°  at  nine  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  at  2  p.M.  the  reading  was  109°,  and  by  a  quarter  to  four,  with  a 
shade  temperature  of  109*4°,  all  hot  December  days  since  1876  were 
eclipsed.  In  December,  1876,  the  record  in  one  day  was  110*7°.  Last 
December  twelvemonth  the  highest  reached  was  107*3°,  and  throughout 
all  last  summer,  trying  as  it  was,  the  hottest  day  was  January  11th,  1898 
—  109  2°. 
-  Hessle  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society. — 
A  meeting  of  the  above  Society  was  held  on  Tuesday,  January  10th,  1899, 
Mr.  G.  Wilson,  Swanland  Manor,  in  the  chair.  Mr.  J.  Barker,  gardener  to 
W.  P.  Burkinshaw,  Esq.,  Hessle,  read  a  paper,  entitled  “  Orchids  for 
Beginners.”  The  essayist  dealt  wi’h  those  Orchids  which  are  most  suit¬ 
able  for  beginners,  giving  the  houses  and  the  temperatures  suitable  for 
the  different  species.  The  essayist  also  exhibited  a  group  of  Orchids  of 
his  own  cultivation,  which  comprised  Cymbidium  Traceyanum,  Odonto- 
glossum  crispum,  and  Cypripediums  insigne,  Niobe  superbum,  Leeanum 
giganteum,  Euryades,  and  Pitcherianum,  Williams’  variety.  There  was 
also  a  decorative  competition  for  under  gardeners  for  a  lady’s  spray,  and  a 
gentleman’s  buttonhole  bouauet.  They  had  to  be  made  in  the  room 
before  the  meeting  commenced.  The  Judges,  Mr.  Wilkinson,  Elloughton, 
and  Mr.  C.  Lawton,  Wei  ton,  awarded  the  prizes  as  follows  :  First,  Mr.  M. 
Skinner,  Bishop  Burton  Hall,  Beverley  ;  second,  Mr.  Flowers,  Tranby 
Croft  ;  and  third,  Mr.  Donoghue,  Tranby  Croft.  The  exhibits 
were  highly  interesting,  and  showed  considerable  artistic  skill.  The 
usual  votes  of  thanks  to  the  essayist  and  Chairman  brought  a  highly 
enjoyable  and  instructive  meeting  to  a  close. — J.  T.  B.,  Hessle. 
-  The  Metropolitan  Public  Gardens  Association.— At 
a  recent  meeting,  under  the  chairmanship  of  the  Earl  of  Meath,  the 
sixteenth  annual  report  was  read  and  approved.  It  stated  that  during 
the  past  year  the  Association  had  laid  out  six  new  grounds,  furnished 
gymnastic  apparatus  for  another  ground,  provided  trees  and  seats  in 
sixteen  localities,  and  by  means  of  special  gifts  from  its  members  erected 
nine  drinking  fountains  in  public  gardens  ana  playgrounds,  and  also  given 
assistance  in  the  acquisition  or  improvement  of  a  number  of  other  grounds, 
and  in  opposing  Bills  in  Parliament  which  affected  public  open  spaces. 
It  was  agreed  to  approach  the  Corporation  of  the  City  of  London  with 
regard  to  the  maintenance  of  City  churchyards,  to  commence  the  laying 
out  of  Portland  Place  enclosure  in  the  New  Kent  Road,  to  communicate 
with  the  London  County  Council  respecting  the  management  of  Hamp¬ 
stead  Heath,  and  to  make  further  inquiries  about  the  proposed  recreation 
ground  at  Finchley  and  the  suggested  acquisition  of  a  portion  of 
Wimbledon  Park,  which  is  for  sale,  near  Wimbledon  Common.  Among 
the  subjects  discussed  at  the  meeting  were  the  local  control  ol  small  open 
spaces,  the  scheme  of  the  future  management  of  the  Physic  Garden, 
Chelsea,  and  the  laying  out  of  Brunswick  and  Leyton  Squares,  Camberwell. 
