164 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
]ftarch'2,  1898. 
Eecent,  Weather  ih  London. — Frosts  have  come  daily  of  late, 
and  havi>  bacn  comparatively  severe.  On  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  Monday 
mornings  the  white  frost  was  accompanied  by  fog,  which  happily  cleared 
later  m  the  day.  On  each  day  there  w  ere  gleams  of  bright  warm  sun¬ 
shine,  though  the  light  wind  was  cold.  Tuesday  was  foggy,  but 
Wednesday  opened  clear  and  bright. 
- Weather  in  the  North.— Cold  winds  from  the  east  have 
been  pievalent  during  the  week,  and  generally  the  weather  has  been 
seasonable,’  sunshine  fairly  effective  in  tempering  almost  continuous  frost. 
This  has  varied  from  3'^  to  9°.  A  dense  fog  set  in  on  Sunday  evening  ; 
on  Monda}'  morning  the  hoar  frost  was  intense,  and  7°  frost  were 
recorded.  The  day  was  marked  by  hazy  sunshine. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
- Shrewsbury  Horticultural  Society. — The  Honorary 
Se  ’retaries  of  this  excellent  Society  have  favoured  us  with  a  copy  of  the 
re:.ort  and  balance-sheet  for  the  year  1808.  From  a  perusal  of  the 
f  irmer  it  is  easy  to  gather  that  the  executive  body  is  thoroughly  satisfied 
With  the  progress  that  has  been  made.  This  is  only  natural  considering 
that  after  disbursing  nearly  £4000  there  remains  as  the  balance  of  assets  up¬ 
wards  of  £470.  This  must  be  most  gratifying  to  everyone  concerned^  and 
to  none  more  than  Messrs.  Adnitt  &Naunton,  who  as  Honorary  Secretaries 
are  indefatigable  in  their  endeavours  to  maintain  the  standard  that  has 
been  attained  since  the  inception  of  the  Society. 
-  Mr.  G.  Harris. — As  announced  in  the  ^hournal  of  Horticulture 
two  or  three  weeks  ago,  Mr.  Harris  was  preparing  to  commence 
business  on  his  own  account  when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the 
appointment  of  Horticultural  Instructor  for  the  counties  of  Cumberland 
and  Northumberland.  For  the  last  seventeen  years  Mr.  Harris  has  been 
head  gardener  at  Alnwick  Castle,  and  during  that  time  he  has  given 
ample  proof  of  his  ability  as  an  able  and  an  excellent  gardener.  Like  all 
enthusiastic  gardeners,  Mr.  Harris  has  been  at  all  times  not  only  willing 
but  anxious  to  impart  his  knowledge  to  others,  and  by  his  unfailing 
courtesy  and  kindness  has  won  for  himself  many  friends  and  admirers. 
The  garden  staff  to  the  number  of  thirty,  wishful  to  show  their  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  their  chief,  presented  him  with  a  beautiful,  mounted  aneroid 
barometer.  Mr.  Stewart,  head  foreman,  most  apnropriately  made  the 
presentation.  Mr.  Harris  was  much  touched,  and  feelingly  responded* 
thanking  them  all  for  their  great  kindness. 
-  Shirley  Gardeners’  Association. — The  monthly  meeting 
of  the  above  Society  was  held  on  the  20th  inst.  at  the  Parish  Boom,  Shirleyj 
Southampton,  There  was  a  good  attendance.  The  lecture  was  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Technical  Education  Committee  of  the  Southampton 
County  Council,  and  was  given  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Mellor,  B.Sc.,  London* 
Lecturer  in  Biology  at  the  Hartley  College,  Southampton,  the  subject 
being  The  Influence  of  Light  on  Plants,”  and  was  illustrated  by 
experiments  and  lantern  slides.  Several  questions  were  put  and 
answered,  and  at  the  close  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks  was  proposed  by 
the  Pre.sident  and  unanimously  accorded  to  Mr.  Mellor.  There  was  a 
good  display  of  spring  blooming  plants  by  the  members,  and  Mr.  H. 
Curtis,  gardener  to  the  President,  was  awarded  first  prize  for  three 
vegetables,  that  being  the  only  exhibit  in  the  class. 
■ -  Fruit  Cultivation  by  Farmers. — At  the  Farmers’  Club, 
Salisbury  Square,  Fleet  Street,  E.C.,  on  Monday,  February  27tb,  Mr, 
Spencer  Pickering,  F.R.S.,  gave  a  paper  on  this  subject,  which  attracted 
a  large  gathering  of  members.  All  the  principal  points  in  relation  to 
fruit-growing  on  farms  were  dealt  with,  and  especial  stress  was  laid  upon 
the  fact  that  more  attention  was  needed  than  had  hitherto  been  accorded 
from  an  agriculturist’s  point  of  view.  Examples  of  the  gross  neglect  so 
apparent  in  many  districts  were  described  and  the  remedies  indicated- 
The  extension  of  fruit  culture  by  an  arrangement  between  landlord  and 
tenant  was  advocated,  and  the  method  which  found  favour  with  the 
lecturer  was  one  by  w  hich  the  landlord  provided  the  trees  and  the  tenant 
incurred  the  expense  of  preparation,  planting,  and  culture.  A  system  of 
compensation  was  also  recommended,  the  actual  amount  payable  to  an  out¬ 
going  tenant  being  determined  by  valuation.  A  vote  ot  thanks  to  the 
lecturer  concluded  the  proceedings,  after  considerable  discussion  had  taken 
place  on  the  various  aspects  of  the  subject. 
-  Nitrate  of  Soda, — A  paragragh  from  “American  Gardening” 
recently  stated  that  “  the  amount  of  nitrate  of  soda  to  be  employed  to  the 
square  metre  (39  square  inches)  is  about  30  grammes,”  i:e.  Obviously 
there  is  a  little  mistake  here,  as  the  area  of  a  square  metre  is  iO'V  square 
feet,  or  over  1540  square  inches. 
- G.4RDENING  APPOINTMENTS. — Mr.  G.  Gregory,  late  of  Kingston 
Lacy  Gardens,  Wimborr.e,  has  taken  charge  of  the  gardens  of  Hazelgrove 
House,  Sparkford,  Somerset,  for  the  Rev.  A.  St.  ,Iohn  Mildmay.  Mr. 
Maurice  Jones,  late  head  gardener  to  W.  Cooper,  Esq.,  Cockley  Cley  Hall, 
S  waff  ham,  Norfolk,  has  been  appointed  in  a  similar  capacity  to  H.  Michell, 
Esq.,  Undermount,  Bonchurch,  Isle  of  Wight. 
-  Dividing  Lobelias. — V*’ith  a  number  of  stock  plants  in  a 
healthy  condition  they  may  be  pulled  in  pieces,  each  with  roots  attached, 
and  put  an  inch  or  two  apart  in  boxes  of  light  soil.  Place  in  a  brisk 
temperature,  and  syringe  daily  until  established.  These  when  well 
advanced  in  growth  may  be  again  divided  if  more  plants  are  wanted. 
They  soon  become  established  in  heat  and  moisture. — E. 
- Orchards.— At  the  meeting  of  the  Bedfordshire  Chamber  of 
Agriculture  on  February  25th,  a  paper  was  read  on  the  above  subject 
by  Mr.  L.  Castle,  manager  of  the  Woburn  Experimental  Fruit  Farm,  to 
a  large  gathering  of  members.  The  different  methods  of  planting  were 
reviewed  at  length  ;  the  general  management  of  established  orchards 
was  also  referred  to  in  detail.  An  interesting  discussion  followed,  in  the 
course  of  which  Mr.  Crick,  of  Ampthill,  remarked  that  his  experience 
of  forty  j  ears  as  a  fruit  grower  coincided  exactly  with  that  set  out  in  the 
paper,  and  he  stated  that  ho  was  so  well  satisfied  with  results  that  he 
was  about  to  extend  his  plantation  considerably.  Several  other 
members  took  part  in  the  proceedings,  and  related  their  experiences, 
which  had  not,  however,  in  every  case  been  so  satisfactory  as  Mr. 
Crick’s.  A  hearty  vote  tf  thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr.  Castle  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  discussion. 
- The  Royal  Gardeners'  Orphan  Fund. — At  a  meeting  ot 
the  Executive  Committee,  held  on  February  24th,  Mr.  William  Marshall 
was  unanimously  elected  Ctiairraan  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  following 
special  receipts  were  announced,  and  the  contributors  heartily  thanked  :  — 
Mr.  IMatthew  Todd,  Maitland  Street,  Edinburgh,  £33  ;  Mr.  H.  J.  .Tones, 
Ryecruft  Nursery,  Lewisham,  S.E.,  £15  4e.  6d.  ;  proceeds  ot  a  concert 
organised  by  ihe  Chislehurst  Gardeners’  Improvement  Association,  per 
Mr.  J.  Lyne.  £17  10s.  ;  J.  Colebrook,  Esq.,  Lowndes  Square,  S.W., 
£10  lOs.  ;  W.  Roupell,  Esq.,  Roupell  Park,  S.W.,  £5  Ss'.  ; 
Leeds  Paxton  Society,  £3  5s.  :  hlessrs.  .J.  Moss  and  Son,  Kelvedon, 
£1  Is.  ;  Messrs.  W,  Thomson  k  Sons,  Ltd  ,  Clovinfords  (collecting 
box),  £2  12s.  3d.;  Anderton’s  Hotel  (collecting  box),  10s.;  Mr.  Wm. 
Howe,  Park  Hill  Gardens,  Streatham,  S.W.,  £1  ;  and  Mr.  William 
Whittaker,  Bridgwater,  10s.  An  intimation  having  been  received  of 
the  death,  prior  to  the  annual  meeting',  of  one  of  the  orphans  on  the 
elected  list,  the  Committee  unanimously  resolved  to  place  Arthur 
George  Wood,  the  next  highest  unsuccessful  candidate  at  the  late 
election,  on  the  Funds  as  from  February  17th.  It  is  specially  requested 
that  all  communications  relating  to  the  business  of  the  Fun<l  may  now 
be  addressed  to  the  Secretary,  Mr.  B.  Wynne,  8,  Dane’s  Inn,  Strand, 
London,  W.C. 
-  Hessle  Gardeners’  Society. — A  meeting  of  the  above 
Society  was  held  on  Tuesday,  February  21st,  when  Mr.  F.  Mason 
presided.  Mr.  J.  P.  Leadbetter,  gardener  to  A.  Wilson,  Esq.,  Trunby 
Croft,  read  an  instructive  and  valuable  paper  on  Potatoes,  their  culture 
and  variety.  The  essayist  first  dealt  with  the  history,  then  with  the 
advancement  made  in  the  mode  of  culture,  describing  how  at  the  present 
time  more  Potatoes  were  produced  from  a  decreased  acreage  than 
formerly.  He  dealt  with  the  diseases  the  plant  is  subject  to,  also 
describing  various  remedies,  and  finally  giving  the  varieties  he  found 
best  to  answer  his  own  requirements.  The  usual  votes  of  thanks  brought 
a  pleasant  evening  to  a  close.  The  sixth  annual  dinner  of  the  above 
Society  was  held  on  Thursday,  the  23rd  inst,  W.  J.  Wharwick,  Esq., 
presided,  and  was  supported  by  all  the  officers  and  about  sixty  members 
and  their  friends.  The  loyal  and  other  toasts  were  duly  proposed  and 
responded  to,  and,  amid  much  enthusiasm,  “  Our  Journal”  was  responded 
to  by  Mr.  Donoghue  of  Tranby  Croft,  By  the  generosity  ot  the  President 
the  famous  Kingston  Quartette  party  was  present,  and  interspersed  the 
toasts  with  various  vocal  items,  Mr.  Thompson,  who  provided  the  comic 
element,  coming  in  for  a  large  share  of  applause.  Kindred  societies  were 
represented  by  Messrs.  Winns  and  Schofield  of  Grimsby.  Everything 
passed  off  quite  satisfactorily,  and  a  highly  enjoyable  evening  was  spent. — 
J.  T.  B ,  Hessle. 
