April  13,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
295 
Recent  Weather  in  London. — The  weather  in  and  around 
London  since  Saturday  last  must  have  been  very  unacceptable  to 
travellers,  though  gardeners  would  probably  be  well  satisfied.  There 
have  been  numerous  showers  and  much  ))rilliant  sunshine  on  each  day, 
but  fortunately  for  the  expanding  buds  no  frosts  have  come.  In  many 
gardens  the  rain  would  be  very  acceptable,  as  the  supply  of  moisture  is 
■still  very  short.  Wednesday  opened  bright  with  a  rather  cold  wind. 
-  Royal  HoRTicuiiTURAL  Society.  —  The  next  Fruit  and 
Floral  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on 
Tuesday,  April  18th,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster, 
1  to  5  P.M.  In  addition  to  the  Society’s  ordinary  meeting,  the  National 
Auricula  and  Primula  Society  will  hold  its  annual  show,  and  there  will  also 
be  an  exhibition  of  Daffodils.  At  three  o’clock  a  lecture  will  be  given 
•on  “  Asparagus,  Forced  and  Outdoors,”  by  Mr.  G.  Norman,  F.R  H.S. 
-  Ligue  Horticole  l’Union.— The  Committee  of  the  Ligue 
Horticole  I’Union,  at  the  exhibition  to  be  held  at  Mont  S'.  Amand,  near 
•Ghent,  has  decided  to  offer  all  foreign  nurserymen  who  may  be  present 
in  Ghent  during  the  exhibition,  from  the  30th  of  April  to  the  9th  of  May, 
a,  free  entrance  ticket,  available  for  the  whole  time  the  show  lasts.  Those 
who  desire  a  ticket  should  write  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  Secretary, 
Ligue  Horticole  TUnion,  Mont  St.  Amand,  Ghent. 
-  Sparrows  and  Carnations.— I  have  never  known  these 
mischievous  birds  so  ue.structive  as  they  have  been  this  season.  Nothing 
bas  escaped  them,  and  they  pass  from  one  crop  to  another  without 
prejudice  until  they  come  to  the  Carnation  bed,  where  they  revel.  It  is 
f>ad  to  see  fine  plants  of  these  beautiful  flowers  ruined  in  what  seems 
to  be  absolute  mischief,  for  the  leaves  are  not  eaten,  but  simply  picked 
•off  and  thrown  down.  When  a  bed  is  reserved  entirely  for  Carnations 
this  can  of  course  be  netted,  but  the  plants  that  are  grown  in 
herbaceous  and  mixea  borders  are  badly  cut  about. — B.  S.  E. 
-  The  Gardeners’  Company. — A  meeting  of  the  Court  was 
held  on  Thursday.  Mr.  W.  A.  Bilney  was  admitted  to  the  freedom  and 
Qtvery.  A  scheme  for  admitting  members  of  the  craft  and  wmrking  gar¬ 
deners  to  the  Company’s  freedom,  and  for  granting  trade  certificates  of 
eomp»tency  on  the  result  of  an  examination  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Oompany,  was  laid  before  the  Court  by  Mr,  C.  Welch.  After  considerable 
■discussion  the  scheme  was  referred  to  a  Committee,  consisting  of  the 
Master  (Sir  William  Farmer),  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  Mr.  C.  Welch,  and 
the  Clerk  (Mr.  R.  Gofton-Salmond).  It  was  also  decided,  says  the  “  City 
Press,”  to  proceed  with  a  new  edition  of  a  short  account  of  the  Company 
which  was  issued  in  1890.  A  proposal  to  prepare  a  history  of  the  Com¬ 
pany  and  of  gardening  in  the  City  of  London  was  also  favourably 
received,  and  reserved  for  fuller  consideration.  Sir  William  Farmer,  at 
the  close  of  the  business,  entertained  the  members  of  the  Court  at  dinner, 
Mr.  W.  A.  Bilney,  the  newly  elected  liveryman,  being  the  guest  of  the 
■evening. 
-  April  Showers. — The  considerable  though  steady  rainfall  of 
Sunday  last  has  proved  to  be  most  welcome,  for  whatever  may  have  been 
weather  conditions  farther  north,  southwards  there  has  been  very  little 
rain  since  February,  and  the  month  of  March,  between  wind  and  frost, 
had  made  the  soil  very  dry  on  the  surface.  We  have  had  a  few  showers  in 
April  previous  to  Sunday,  but  they  were  slight,  and  very  soon  dried  by 
strong  winds.  Sunday  was  an  ideal  April  day  in  its  moisture  ;  not  a 
hard  rain,  but  a  gentla  persistent  downfall,  that  thoroughly  moistened  the 
soil,  because  it  penetrated  ;  none  too  warm,  it  was  generally  in  consonance 
with  the  season.  Whilst  giving  all  early  sown  seeds  and  late  planted 
things  a  good  help,  it  should  also  greatly  benefit  the  pastures,  and  thus 
render  the  farmer  good  service.  Rain  also  as  it  emanates  from  cloud 
staves  off  frost,  and  as  the  Plums,  Pears,  and  Cherries  are  fast  expanding 
their  bloom,  we  have  little  desire  to  see  the  days  too  bright  and  hot,  as  so 
■often  these  are  followed  by  nights  of  low  temperature  and  white  frosts. 
Many  persons  have  assumed  that  because  we  had  such  heavy  rainfalls  in 
February,  that  enough  moisture  had  fallen  to  last  for  months.  March, 
however,  showed  us  that  if  the  air  can  be  absorbent,  so  also  can  the  soil, 
for  every  trace  of  excessive  moisture  had  entirely  disappeared,  and  rivers 
and  streams  had  fallen  low.  A  dripping  April  will  be  a  great  blessing  to 
oar  gardens  and  crops. — A.  D. 
-  Gardening  Appointment.— Correction. — A  correspondent 
writes  ; — A  snort  time  ago  I  wrote  you  that  Mr.  Mossop  had  been  ap¬ 
pointed  gardener  to  Harvey  Goodwin,  Esq.,  ( )rton  Hall,  Westmoreland; 
but  !Mr.  Mossop  declined,  without  entering,  the  charge,  which  has  been 
accepted  by  ^Ir.  Lamb,  late  of  Singleton  Park,  Kendal. 
-  Royal  Meteorological  Society.— At  the  ordinary  meeting 
of  the  Society,  to  be  held  at  the  Institute  of  Civil  Engineers,  Gri  at  G  orge 
Street,  Westminster,  on  Wednesday,  the  l!)th  iint.,  at  7.30  P.M.,  the 
following  papers 'will  be  read: — “Soil  Temperature,”  by  Mr.  Henry 
Mellish,  F.R.MebSoc.  ;  ‘Some  Phenomena  Connected  with  the  Vertical 
Circulation  of  the  Atmosphere,”  by  Major-General  II.  Schaw,  C.B. 
-  Hawfinches  and  Leas. — I  was  pleased  to  see  at  least  one 
good  word  for  the  hawfinch,  or  butcher  bird,  as  it  is  termed,  for,  as 
Mr.  J.  Shalford  says,  they  are  beautiful  creatures.  I  have  suffered  as 
much  as  most  people  from  their  depredations,  and  have  often  felt  inclined 
to  deal  out  rather  summary  justice,  but  so  far  have  not  killed  a  single 
bird.  I  think  they  are  most  numerous  in  the  eastern  midland  counties  ; 
at  any  rate  I  have  never  'seen  so  many  of  them  in  the  West  or  North  of 
England.  The  birds  are  naturally  very  shy,  and  their  presence  is  often 
unexpected  in  the  garden  until  the  Peas  are  attacked.  I  have  never  seen 
them  injure  any  other  crop.— C.  H. 
-  The  Dumfriesshire  and  G.alloway  Horticultural 
Society. — The  prospects  of  the  resuscitated  Dum'riesshire  and  Galloway 
Horticultural  Society  are,  in  the  opinion  of  its  promoters,  decidedly  pro¬ 
mising.  The  show  is  to  be  held  in  the  Drill  Hall,  Dumfries,  on 
September  6th.  By  a  large  majority,  the  Town  Council  of  Dumfries, 
at  a  meeting  on  6th  inst.,  agreed  to  grant  a  sum,  not  exceeding  £15,  to 
purchase  a  challenge  cup  for  the  Society.  It  is  proposed  that  the  cup  be 
competed  for  by  local  horticultural  societies.  It  is  proposed  to  hold 
occasional  meetings  for  the  discussion  of  horticultural  subjects,  and  the 
exhibition  of  plants  of  interest.  The  inaugural  lecture,  one  on  ‘"  Daffodils,’' 
is  to  be  given  by  Mr.  S.  Arnott,  on  the  ISth  April. 
-  Cornish  Potatoes  and  March  Frosts.— It  is  said,  “He 
who  is  fastest  at  the  start  is  seldom  good  to  stay,”  and  this  appears 
verified  this  year  with  the  early  PotatJ  planters  in  West  Cornwall, 
They  planted,  as  usual,  at  the  latter  end  of  January,  and  in  February 
growth  proceeded  freely  in  the  mild  weather  until  the  third  week  in 
March,  Then  there  was  a  terrible  reckoning.  Whole  fields,  up  in  rows, 
and  nearly  ready  to  mould,  were  cut  down  with  the  frost  and  displayed  a 
blackened  wreck.  Men  who  planted  much  later  up  country  will  put 
Potatoes  on  the  market  before  Cornishmen,  who-e  vaulting  ambition  has 
o’er-leaped  itself  this  season. — (“  Rural  World.  ’) 
-  Emigrants’  Information.  —  The  April  circulars  of  the 
Emigrants’  Information  OflBce  and  the  new  annual  editions  of  the  penny 
Handbooks  show  the  present  prospects  of  emigration.  The  notice 
boards  are  now  exhibited,  and  the  circulars  may  be  obtained  free  of 
charge,  at  more  than  350  public  libraries  throughout  the  country.  April 
is  the  best  month  to  arrive  in  Canada  ;  there  is  a  good  demand  for 
experienced  farm  hands,  except  in  British  Columbia.  In  New  South 
Wale.s,  owing  to  the  severe  drought  in  the  Western  districts  of  the 
colony,  and  the  great  loss  of  sheep,  station  hands  have  been  dispensed  with, 
and  there  is  consequently  no  demand  for  them.  Recent  reports  from 
such  widely  distant  partsas  Walgett,  Wilcannia,  Mudgee,  Orange,  Cooma, 
Bourke,  Jerilderie,  Lithgow,  Queanbeyan,  Wagga  Wagga,  Hillstone, 
Dubbo,  and  Young  state  that  there  is  practically  no  demand  for  ordinary 
farm  or  station  hands.  At  Uralla  and  Grafton  in  the  far  north  there  is 
a  fair  demand  for  farm  labourers  and  carpenters,  and  a  good  one  for 
servants;  Really  skilled  dairymen  and  thoroughly  capable  farmjlabourers 
would  nrobably  have  little  difSculty  in  obtaining  employment  in  many 
parts  of  the  colony.  In  Victoria  local  labour  is  generally  sufficient,  but 
there  are  excellent  openings,  as  a  rule,  for  farmers,  dairy  farmers,  and 
fruit  growers,  if  they  have  a  .little  capital  and  some  experience  of  the 
country.  There  has  been  a  general  rainfall,  and  a  very  good  harvest,  and 
the  dairy  industry  has  improved.  In  South  Australia  there  is  no  improve¬ 
ment  in  the  demand  for  labour.  In  Queensland  there  is  a  general  demand 
throughout  the  colony  for  ploughmen'and  other  farm  labourers,  and  for 
female  domestic  servants.  Free  passages  are  again  being  given  to  labourers 
and  female  domestic  servants,  and  some  assistance  towards  their  passages 
is  also  now  being  given  to  farmers,  market  gardeners,  dairymen  and  fruit 
growers,  and  their  families  ;  application  must  be  made  to  the  Agent- 
General,  ],  Victoria  Street,  London,  S.W.  In  Western  Australia  there 
is  a  good  demand  for  farm  labourers  in  the  South-West,  and  the  mining 
industry  continues  to  expand.  The  assisted  passages  to  the  colony  have 
been  discontinued.  In  Tasmania  there  is  no  general  demand  for  more 
mechanics  or  farm  labourers. 
