April  G,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
S73 
Recent  Weather  in  London. — Holiday  makers  around  London 
will  have  rejoiced  in  the  pleasant  weather  that  prevailed  from  Saturday 
until  Monday  n’ght.  True,  rain  threatened  to  fall  several  limes, 
but  only  came  in  very  brief  drirzles.  On  Tuesday  morninjr,  and 
ti^ain  after  noon,  there  were  several  rather  heavy  showers.  j\t  the 
time  of  going  to  pre.'S  on  Wednesday  it  was  warm  and  summer-like. 
-  Weather  in  the  North.— A  good  deal  of  rain  has  fallen 
during  the  week  ending  3rd  inst.,  and  high  winds  have  been  Irequent, 
with  a  much  higher  temperature.  Snow  fell  heavily  on  the  morning  of 
Saturday,  giving  place  to  rain  in  the  afternoon.  This  continued 
throughout  Sunday  and  Monday  morning,  but  the  afternoon  was  pleasant 
with  a  light  wind  from  the  west. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthihire. 
-  Mi.stletoe  Propagation  ry  BiitD.s. — Looking  around  the 
gardens  and  new  conservatory  at  Merlin,  near  this  town,  recently  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fayle,  we  were  shown  on  an  Apple  tree  a  young  Mistletoe 
seedling  growing  through  bird  excrement,  showing  the  seed  and  berries 
must  have  been  eaten  in  the  winter  by  blackbirds  or  thrushes,  and 
■voided  by  them  intact  on  the  Apple  bough,  and  then  commenced  to  grow 
413  a  parasite  from  the  Apple  bark.  This  system  of  seed  propagation  in 
unlikely  places  is  not  unusual. — W.  .1.  Murphy,  Clonmel. 
• 
-  Ancient  Society  op  York  Florists.  —  The  rulei  and 
schedules  of  prizes  to  be  held  in  connection  with  this  excellent  Society 
"during  the  present  year  have  come  to  hand,  and  it  is  evident  that  there 
is  to  bo  no  retrogression.  The  total  amount  in  prize  money  reaches 
upwards  of  £400,  distributed  over  numerous  classes  at  several  exhibitions, 
■of  which  the  chief  appears  to  be  the  Chrysanthemum  on  November 
I5th,  IGih,  and  17th  in  the  Flxhibition  Buildings  of  York.  Th«  book 
«mbodics  also  the  names  of  the  patrons  and  officials,  together  with  a  list 
of  the  subscribing  members.  Mr.  Geo.  F.  W.  Oman,  .38,  Peiergale, 
York,  assumes  the  office  of  Secretary,  in  successicn  to  Mr.  J.  Lazenby, 
•who  has  retired. 
-  Presentation  to  Mr.  John  Lazenby.— At  a  meeting  held 
on  Thursday  last,  the  Committee  of  the  Ancient  Society  of  York  Florists 
presented  to  Mr.  .John  Lazenby,  who  has  resigned  the  post  of  Secretarj-, 
an  illuminated  testimonial  and  a  purse  of  gold,  subscribed  for  by  members 
of  the  Society  and  other  friends.  Mr.  .1.  C.  Milburn  took  the  chair.  Mr. 
J.  Pillmoor  made  the  presentation,  and  expressed  the  regret  of  the 
President  (Alderman  Mclvay)  that  he  was  unable  to  attend.  Councillor 
Staines  said  there  was  no  doubt  the  members  of  the  Society  had  regretted 
and  would  continue  to  regret,  that  their  late  Secretary’s  ill  health  had 
brought  about  his  resignation  ;  at  the  same  time  they  hoped  he  would 
still  be  able  to  help  forward  the  good  work  in  connection  with  which  he 
had  done  so  much  during  his  twenty  years  of  service.  Mr.  Lazenby 
thanked  the  promoters  and  the  subscribers  to  the  testimonial,  and  said 
that  since  he  had  given  up  the  responsibility  of  the  office  he  hail  had 
better  health. 
- The  Nash. — On  the  occasion  of  a  recent  call  at  The  Nash 
Kempse3-,  Worcester,  the  picturesque  old  home  of  Sir  Itichard  Temple, 
Bart.,  I  was  much  interested  in  a  very  fine  display  of  Cinerarias  and 
Cyclamens  in  a  lean-to  house  facing  the  flower  garden  in  front  of  the 
mansion.  The  central  stage  was  completely  filled  with  magnificent 
Cinerarias,  the  pots  being  hidden  by  luxuriant  foliage.  The  habit  of  the 
plants  was  excellent,  and  the  colour,  form,  and  size  of  flowers  superb. 
But  perhaps  even  more  noteworthy  were  the  200  Cyclamens  which  filled 
the  front  stsges.  All  shades,  from  the  purest  white  to  the  richest 
crimson,  were  splendidly  represented.  The  various  colours  were  grouped) 
and  in  this  way  comparison  was  simplified.  As  I  saw  them  they  were 
literally  a  mass  of  flower,  the  pots  being  covered  by  the  handsome 
foliage.  The  plants  were  seedlings  flowering  for  the  first  time,  and 
started  throwing  up  flowers  in  September.  During  the  summer  months 
they  were  kept  growing,  plunged  in  cold  frames  well  up  to  the  glass, 
constantly  moistened  with  the  syringe,  and  lightly  shaded  during  bright 
sunshine.  The  compost  used  for  them  was  little  else  but  good  fibrous 
loam,  coarse  leaf  soil,  and  sand.  Altogether  Mr.  .Justice  has  every 
reason  to  be  proud  of  the  display,  A  feature  on  the  kitchen  garden  walls 
is  a  collection  of  well  trained  young  Beach  trees,  many  of  which  carried 
good  crops  of  fine  fruit  last  season. — W.  11.  W, 
-  Death  of  IMons.  Charles  Naudi.v.— We  regret  to  learn  from 
the  “Gardeners’  Chronicle’’  of  the  death,  on  the  19th  ult.,  of  this  most 
celebrated  French  horticulturist.  The  deceased  was  eighty-three  years 
of  age,  and  has  long  Iteen  D, rector  of  the  Villa  Thuret,  at  Antibes.  lie 
was  a  botanist  of  the  first  order,  and  his  loss  will  not  be  that  of  France 
alone,  but  of  the  whole  gardening  world. 
- Gardening  A  i’i’OlNT.\iENT.s.--iMr.  Mossop, several  years  gardener 
at  Blawith,  Grange-over-Sands,  has  been  appointed  liead  gardener  to 
Harvey  Goodwin,  1‘lsq,,  Orton  Hall,  Westmoreland.  Mr.  Arthur  Childs, 
four  years  foreman  at  Sedgwick  House,  Kendal,  has  gone  as  gardener  to 
B.  Mitchell  Innes,  Ksq.,  Churchill,  Kernel  Hempstead.  Mr.  W.  Meredith, 
.s^^‘n  years  with  D.  B.  Seller,  Esc.,  Dudbrook  House,  Brentwood,  Essex, 
has  been  appointed  to  Stansted  Bark,  Emsworth,  Susse.x. 
• -  Hawfinches  and  Beas.  —  We  have,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
suffered  considerable  loss  from  these  birds  in  the  past.  With  the 
exception  of  their  weakness  for  Beas,  I  have  not  heard  that  there  is 
any  other  wickedness  known  about  these  beautiful  creatures.  In  some 
districts  they  may  be  numerous,  but  so  far  as  I  know  they  are  compara¬ 
tively  rare,  and  that  is  one  reason  why  they  were  not  mentioned  in  my 
iiote.s  on  Beas,  As  soon  as  we  perceive  signs  of  their  presence  we  dust 
all  over  the  rows  of  Beas  with  lime  ;  it  is  of  course  best  done  after  a 
shower,  or  in  early  morning  when  the  dew  is  on.  This  has  proved 
effectual,  and  saved  us  many  dishes  of  Beas.  Flarly  rows  appear  to  bo 
exempt  from  their  attacks. — J.  Shalford. 
-  Crocuses  at  Hampton  Court. — The  Superintendent  of  the 
Balace  Gardens  is  to  be  congratulated  on  having  created  for  the  delecta¬ 
tion  of  the  thousands  of  visitors  who  attend  this  attractive  place  of  resort 
at  I'laster  quite  a  floral  sensation  with  Dutch  Crocuses  only.  These  early 
flowering  bulbs  are  not  seen  in  long  formal  lines,  neither  are  they  in 
solid  clumps  or  massed  in  beds.  They  are  dotted  on  to  the  broad  grass 
glade  that  runs  between  the  upper  range  of  flower  beds  and  the  moat,  and 
beneath  the  tall  rows  of  Limes,  d’hey  are  in  informal  masses,  yet  not  in 
dense  masses.  In  some  cases  two  or  three  colours  are  mixed,  in  others 
are  of  one  variety.  The  space  covered  extends  from  the  garden  entrance 
to  the  Hampton  Road,  is  very  broad,  and  probably  some  300  yaids  in 
length  As  a  display  of  Crocuses,  it  is  without  exception  one  of  the 
prettiest  yet  seen. —  D. 
-  Wakefield  Baxton  Society. — Brogramme  of  meetings 
for  the  fi'st  quarter — session  1899.  Meetings  are  held  each  Saturday 
evening  at  eight  o’clock.  April  1st,  “Gardeners,”  Mr.  ,J.  Jj.  Twigge, 
Wakefield.  April  8th,  “Orchids  for  Beginners,”  Mr.  .John  T.  Barker, 
Ilesble.  April  Loth,  “Daffodils,”  Mr.  W.  Garside,  Wakefield.  April  22nd, 
“  Some  Blant  Barasites  and  Messmates,”  Mr.  F.  Rhodes,  Bradford. 
April  29ih,  “Spring  i'lowering  Bulbs  and  Alpines,”  Mr.  W.  A.  Clark, 
Messrs,  .J.  Backhouse  &  Son’s  Nurseries,  York.  May  6th,  “The  Cultiva¬ 
tion  of  the  Beach  and  Nectarine,”  Mr,  Geo.  Hudson,  Woolley.  May  13th 
*  Bractical  Boultry  Breeding  and  Rearing,”  illustrated,  Mr.  W.  E. 
Corden,  Wakefield.  May  20th,  “The  Gloxinia,”  Mr.  T.  Gartery,  Rother¬ 
ham.  May  27th,  “  Brinciples  of  Botanical  Classification,”  Mr.  .J.  W.  D. 
McFherson,  B.A.,  Grammar  School,  Wakefield. — T.  H.  Mountain,  A.  S. 
Nicholson,  //on.  Secs. 
-  Isle  of  Wight. — The  Lsle  of  Wight  Horticultural  Improve¬ 
ment  Association  held  its  third  annual  non-competitive  exhibition  of 
Daffodils  and  spring  flowers  at  Ventnor  on  Saturday,  April  ht.  The 
Show  was  opened  by  Dr.  J.  Groves,  who  said  the  Association  had  been 
formed  to  encourage  the  development  of  horticulture  in  the  island  so 
as  to  give  pleasure  and  provide  for  the  wants  of  the  many  visitors,  on 
whom  they  (the  islanders)  were  largely  dependent  for  their  livelihood. 
'I'he  show  was  scarcely  up  to  its  usual  standard,  though  there  were 
some  excellent  flowers  staged  by  Alessrs.  Barr  &  Sons  of  London. 
Mr.  Geo.  Honeybourne,  gardener  to  l.ady  Daly  of  Ryde,  staged  a  fine 
collection  of  Daffodils,  and  received  the  Association  certificate  for 
cultural  merit.  Mr.  W.  W.  Sheath,  gardener  to  Mit.s  Mitchell  of 
Ventnor,  arranged  a  group  of  miscellaneous  flowering  and  foliage  plants, 
including  some  fine  specimen  I’rimula  obconica  and  Euphorbia  splendens. 
Mr.  W.  Russell,  gardener  to  C.  H.  Comb,  Esq.,  Bonchurch,  sent  a  group 
of  flowering  and  foliage  plants  in  addition  to  a  fine  collection  of  Narcissi, 
Mr,  F.  A.  Hill,  gardener  to  Miss  Cass  of  V'entnor,  contributed  some 
Spiraea  japonica,  and  Mr.  A.  .J.  Cole,  gardener  to  —  Rendell,  Esq.,  of 
Sundown,  a  nicely  arranged  vase  of  Sir  Watkin,  which  was  much  appre¬ 
ciated.  The  Association  is  also  encouraging  bee-keeping,  and  Mr.  W.  S. 
Barnes’  observatory  hive  and  section  honey  were  a  great  attraction.  Mr. 
C.  Smith  of  Ventnor,  an  amateur,  well  merited  the  Association  certificate 
for  cultural  merit  for  a  large  and  well  grown  plant  of  Imantophyilum 
miniatum. 
